Pieces of Us
by nikki.ntm
Summary: After the defeat of Organization XIII there are still many hearts left to mend. Cloud found his way back to Radiant Garden and now he is setting off to find his memories and the person who appears in them, oblivious to the chain of events he will start.
1. Chapter 1  Forgotten Memories

******Title:**** Pieces of Us  
********Author: **chicasumi  
******Genre: **Drama/Adventure/Suspense  
******Chapter:**** 1**/?  
******Word count: ****2832  
********Synopsis: **After the defeat of Organization XIII there are still many hearts left to mend. Cloud found his way back to Radiant Garden and now he is setting off to find his memories and the person who appears in them, oblivious to the chain of events he will start.  
******Rating: **PG-13 for occasional violence**  
********Pairings:** There is only one official pairing in this story and it's mainly one-sided, the pairing is Tifa/Cloud. There's a ton of other pairings if you squint or read into it.  
**  
********Spoiler-waring! **This fanfic contains spoilers for Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 days, major spoilers for Kingdom Hearts 2 and maybe spoilers for Birth By Sleep (I haven't played it yet but I've seen enough of the trailers to know what's gonna happen. Square should put a spoilertag on those...)

_**ooo**_

**Chapter One: Forgotten memories**

Cloud put a couple of scrolls, pencils and other stuff he deemed important into a bag he threw across his shoulders recklessly. He had been working on a plan for a couple of months and it had kept him entertained. The others had been worried for him, he could tell. After he disappeared in middle of a battle with Sephiroth, Tifa had turned Hollow Bastion upside down to find him. She had been beside herself and when he one day just appeared at the marketplace she had almost cried her eyes out. She meant well, Cloud never doubted that but he couldn't help but getting irritated when everything he did had to pass by her first. Aerith had told him to be nice and Cloud wouldn't have thought much more of it had it not been for the serious expression on the otherwise serene face of his friend.  
While he had been away Tifa had done more than just worrying about him and searching for him, she had put up a pub that quickly became popular amongst the citizens in Hollow Bastion and it had kept her mind busy when her worrying became too much.

Cloud gave his small room one last look to see if there was anything he was forgetting. He hadn't told anyone about the things he had been up to, he didn't expect anyone to understand. If anything they'd probably think he finally lost what little sanity he had left and gone absolutely crazy, but for him this was about as real as it would ever get. He had always felt that he was missing a huge chunk of his life. He felt that there was a void, almost like someone had reached into his brain and removed something important, vital to his existence. He was right and the scary part was that everyone here was probably missing a lot of memories. Maybe he was the only one actually _missing_ his memories which was why he had had put his plan in motion.

"Cloud! Are you eating lunch today?" Tifa yelled from the kitchen below his room. The smell of Tifa's own stew penetrated through the wooden floor. Her stews cleansed the soul what with all the spices she put in them.

"Um, I'll take some to go!"

He heard her mumble something but he was busy hurrying down the stairs to actually pay attention to what it was she was saying. He put his bag behind some shoes by the door before he walked down the narrow corridor into the kitchen.

"You going somewhere?" She took out a lunchbox and filled it with rice and stew when she heard him lean against the doorway, she made sure it was properly sealed so that it wouldn't sparse everywhere.

"Uh, yeah. Cid wants some stuff so he asked me to go and get it for him." He wasn't the one to lie unless he found it necessary and he didn't think he'd have the time to explain so he chose the easy way out. Besides for all Cid knew he had asked Cloud to get stuff just that he might have done so while drunk.

"Huh," That was all Tifa said before she handed him the lunchbox. Whether she knew he was lying or not, Cloud would not be able to tell. Not now at least. She would probably wait for the right time to explode and then confront him. Either that or she wasn't in the mood to argue right now.

"It smells good. Thanks." Cloud hurried to the hallway and put the lunchbox into the bag. He said a quick goodbye before he closed the door behind him and sighed. He was serving a greater purpose. Lying was all he could do until he could tell the truth. That's what he chose to believe.

He had found someone while he was gone or rather he had seen someone and there had been a flash of memories run before his eyes and his chest had been warm. When Sora had come by Hollow Bastion he had never really thought about other worlds. Sure, he had been in Olympus Coliseum when darkness threatened to consume him but he had never been beyond the battle arena. There were other worlds out there. Other worlds in which Cloud could find _him_. He had that person's name on the tip of his tongue. If he just thought about it a little harder he would remember but seemingly he never thought about it hard enough to figure it out.

As soon as he passed by Merlin's house he ran. He hurried towards the remains of the laboratory in the outskirts of town. He was scared that Yuffie was roaming around and if she saw him sneaking around she would bug him until he spilled every last of his beans. He wouldn't mind telling Yuffie actually. She would give him the benefit of doubt but the problem was that she wouldn't be able keep it a secret and before he knew it all of Hollow Bastion would be aware of his plans.

He sneaked in quietly into the Postern, hoping that he wouldn't attract the attention of lurking Heartless. He was armed and all but lately there had been a lot of self-exploding Heartless and an explosion could easily be heard all the way back home. To add to it all the enemy system was still working and he didn't feel like being thrown up into the air. Cloud pulled out one of the scrolls and sighed. He had never been good with maps so he didn't quite get why he had bothered getting a map in the first place. He looked at the map and then back up. He would have to make a couple of turns to get to Ansem's study and with his luck he would probably get lost.

The hallways were cold and unfriendly. It was hard to imagine that there had been people here every day, working and researching and yet they never took the time to leave something personal behind. Not even a plant. Not that it would still be here had there been a plant. Cloud shook his head in disbelief. Here he was, sneaking around like a criminal of sorts and thinking about interior design.

The door into Ansem's study had been smashed in and Cloud moved some of the ruble aside to jump over the rest. The office was tidy although a bit dusty. There was a frame with a picture on the wall and he could only assume that it portrayed Ansem. Cloud lost no more time on decorations. He hurried over to the desk and began to search for anything of importance. He needed to know how to open up loopholes to other worlds. He had seen the members of the Organization creating loopholes and he figured they had learned to do so with something Ansem had invented. He refused to believe that being a Nobody gave you the ability to travel through space and time by will alone. There had to be some science behind it all.

He sat back and looked at the charts on the walls. There was one about human hearts, another one about darkness and another one about…connection between the worlds? He got up and tried to decipher the text on the chart as he got closer. It wasn't like any handwriting he had ever seen. All he could see were arrows drawn everywhere. He pulled out one of the scrolls and a pencil. Who knew if he might need this later? He made a carbon copy out of it and then put the scroll back into his bag.

There was nothing to find on the desk so he proceeded to the bookshelves. He turned all the books inside-out, flipping them around to see if anything would fly out of them. He was on the brink of giving up when a small piece of paper fell out and landed by his feet. He picked it up and unfolded it.

_Behind you._

Cloud turned around and stood face to face with the big painting of Ansem on the wall. He shrugged and pulled up the painting to turn it around. There was nothing on the wall. Except for the fact that there was a secret passage way to the computer room but his computer skills were next to non-existent so he didn't even think about going in there. He looked at the painting and found nothing that stuck out. As he sighed again he accidentally lost his grip on the painting as he tried to put it back up again. There was a small metallic sound and Cloud looked down to the ground and saw a small blue stone lay before him. He picked it up, gave it a quick glance and then put it into his pocket. It would make a great piece of jewelry. Maybe it was a Mythril stone or something.

There had to be something else, something that would say something about traveling between worlds. He walked out of the room with the map in hand. There were two more rooms down the hallway. He wasn't sure if the rooms were offices or something else but he would sure find out. Or so he thought. When he got there he could only find one door that led to nothing more than a cleaning shed filled with dust. The other door was nowhere to be found. He began knocking on the wall to see if maybe the door had been hidden to keep intruders from finding long lost secrets when suddenly his arm disappeared into the wall.

Cloud stared at his arm in disbelief. He pulled back out to see that he was okay and then he tried knocking on the wall again. This was certainly unexpected. This could be the loophole he was searching for. Sure, he hadn't found a way to make one himself but if this loophole-business really was based on will then maybe anyone could do it?  
He took a deep breath and leaped into the wall hoping that he wouldn't bounce back with a broken nose. He didn't. He disappeared into the wall and when he opened his eyes again, which was before he thought of taking a breath, he found himself under transparent blue water. He looked up and swam towards the light above his head. He coughed as he got to the surface and looked around in complete awe.

Where the hell was he?

There were gray clouds up in the sky and there was a heavy smell of fish coming from the harbor where a big ship lay anchor. Cloud swam toward land as quickly as he could. He sat down on the beach and gave his surroundings another look. There was no way that he was still in that laboratory. Not unless the laboratory was built above, or under, a village by the sea. There was a small and mad chuckle that threatened to escape him but the sudden sound of a gunshot stopped him. He looked over at the harbor from where the gunshot came and there he saw a bunch of men cheering and screaming loudly.

"Take us to the brothel, yar!" said one man with a wooden leg and raggedy clothes. The other men howled in agreement as the man ahead of the bunch simply walked down the harbor until they all disappeared into the city.

Yar? Cloud got up onto his feet and dusted his pants off. Judging by the clothing of the men, the look of the city and the look of the ship, Cloud would say that he was in a…pirate-world. Either that or he had really knocked himself out trying to run into a wall. For now, he had decided to play along with his brain. He had heard of a world where a Beast ruled over a castle, he had heard of a world where the trees and plants in the forest were ten times bigger than usual but never about a world with pirates. He wasn't even sure he believed in the first two worlds.

The streets were eerily quiet but it helped finding the one brothel in town since that's where all the noise came from. He figured that with so much people inside he would go by unnoticed. He didn't think that being clean and being platinum-blond would attract attention. The noise subsided slightly when he entered but the loud voices came back again as soon as everyone had eyed him at least once. Cloud wasn't sure what he was doing there. Who should he be looking for? Who should he turn to for answers? He figured that once he learned how to make loopholes he'd just go through every world he'd be able to think of to find this person he was looking for but now he wasn't sure of what to do.

Cloud flopped down on an empty seat by the entrance and rubbed his eyes. The saltwater in the sea made his eyes feel heavy and his clothes were still wet. A loud pop made him jump and he looked up quickly to look at a female-pirate who was staring right at him.

"You look lost,"

Cloud didn't quite bother to look like he was interested in starting a conversation. The woman had a crimson red bandana on her head, large golden earrings and she looked like a pirate. She was chewing gum and she blew another bubble and let it pop. Her hair was brownish and locks of it hung down to frame her surprisingly pretty face.

"Not much of a talker, are ya?"

"Sorry,"

She leaned in closer and lowered her voice, "You're not one of 'em cloak-guys, are you?"

Cloak-guys? It didn't take Cloud long to add two and two together. He was wearing dark clothing and he wasn't from around here so it wasn't so weird that she thought that he might be a member of the Organization. But he'd have to be careful. He didn't want to have a mob chase him out of this world just because there had been a misunderstanding.

"What if I was?"

"Cheeky." She half-grinned and rested her head onto her hands, "Listen, I'm in need of some gold so whatever it is you're here for I can help."

"You're losing your time. I'm no Organization-member," Cloud sighed. It's not like he could ask her to find the person he was looking for just by saying _Oh yeah, by the way, do you know where this guy in my fading memories is?_

"Well if you have gold I can still help." She held out her hand and waited for Cloud to shake it, "I'm Cissnei."

"Cloud." He was seriously hoping now that all of this was a consequence of running into that wall. After months of planning he still didn't know what he was doing. For some reason he actually thought that everything would come to him in the order he had planned. It was like he hadn't learned anything! Now he was in over his head, if he now was in a different world, that is.

Cloud was so busy mentally kicking himself that he didn't notice the change in the woman's face until he heard a small gasp. She leaned in again and said in a whisper, "Sephiroth," She then sat back to inspect Cloud's expression. The look of shock was clearly the reaction she had been expecting and she clapped her hands in glee.

"Yes! I'll be getting my gold anyway!" She said it quietly so that the others wouldn't hear.

"How do you know that name?" Cloud demanded. He forgot all about different worlds, loopholes and whatnot. No one dared to mention that name to him, not even as a joke. Was all of this another mind-game Sephiroth was playing on him? Had he even returned to Hollow Bastion after his battle with Sephiroth? What if the last couple of months had been nothing but hallucinations? It almost felt like his gut was turning upside-down as another horrible thing occurred to him. What if those memories were a part of that mind-game? What if the person he thought he was looking for didn't exist?

"Go to the rampart by midnight if you want the answers." She said, looking very serious, "You might not be one of 'em cloak-guys but they sure have business with you." She stood up and left, leaving Cloud to ponder about what that meant. The Organization was behind this? What business they did have with him? They had never crossed ways. Sure, he had spoken to the Keyblade-wielder on occasion but that couldn't be reason enough for them to want to meddle with him, could it?


	2. Chapter 2 Treasure

******Title:**** Pieces of Us  
********Author: **chicasumi  
******Genre: **Drama/Adventure/Suspense  
******Chapter:** 2/?  
******Word count: **3019**  
********Synopsis: **After the defeat of Organization XIII there are still many hearts left to mend. Cloud found his way back to Radiant Garden and now he is setting off to find his memories and the person who appears in them, oblivious to the chain of events he will start.  
******Rating: **PG-13 for occasional violence**  
********Pairings:** There is only one official pairing in this story and it's mainly one-sided, the pairing is Tifa/Cloud. There's a ton of other pairings if you squint or read into it.  
**  
********Spoiler-waring! **This fanfic contains spoilers for Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 days, major spoilers for Kingdom Hearts 2 and maybe spoilers for Birth By Sleep (I haven't played it yet but I've seen enough of the trailers to know what's gonna happen. Square should put a spoilertag on those...)

**Chapter 2: Treasure**

He looked up at the large, foreboding clock tower and ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. The person with the supposed answers to his questions was an hour late. That woman better not have fooled him or he would hunt her down. He needed to know how it was possible for her to know about Sephiroth if he really was in another world. At first he thought that maybe he had seen her before. Maybe she had been to Hollow Bastion before and heard the stories. It had even occurred to him that Tifa and the rest of the gang were behind this to teach him a "valuable lesson" about moving on with his life and let Sephiroth get away with all the stunts he had pulled.

He would have spun on his thoughts further had it not been for a dark shadow moving across the rampart and stop by a corner. Cloud looked at it and moved toward it slowly. Was that his shadow or…the shadow disappeared with a strange whistling sound and Cloud set out after it. He never got close enough to stop it but the shadow stopped every now and then to make sure Cloud could see where it was going. The shadow led him down the stairs of the clock tower and the sounds of the waves became louder as they reached the ground floor. It stood by the huge glassless windows, the moon emitting a strange light as the waves outside crashed up against the cliffs right by the tower. Cloud stopped at a safe distance, looking at the shadow that slowly took a physical form and it was indeed wearing a black cloak.

"Who are you?" Cloud demanded as he felt the shadow look at him, "How do you know Sephiroth?"

The shadow chuckled at Cloud's ignorance and it shrugged halfheartedly. Cloud dared to move closer. The shadow didn't seem to be armed but if it indeed was a Nobody then it probably could summon weapons from nothing.

"What're the answers you can give me?" Cloud asked, this time in a less heated tone.

The shadow sighed and turned to face Cloud. The shadow was somewhat taller than him and Cloud frowned slightly as the shadow reached for its hood to push it back and reveal its face. Cloud was almost expecting to see Sephiroth's evil face, snickering at him for falling for everything he had been through the last couple of months. But to his surprise it was a face he couldn't remember seeing before. The figure had spiky, fiery-red hair and a smug smile dressing his face.

"I'm Lea." He said nonchalantly, "It is nice to finally meet you, Cloud."

Cloud gulped. What should he do? He took a couple of steps back and eyed the figure, preparing himself for an attack that never came. "How do you know my name?"

"Oh, I pick up things I hear." Lea said with yet another shrug. He looked at Cloud with a slightly sinister look, "I hear you've been remembering things, Cloud. Anything _interesting_?"

This man was seriously starting to creep him out. How did he know all of this? Cloud hadn't told anyone about anything! There was no way a random stranger could know. His breathing became slightly heavy. He had lost his mind. There was suddenly no question about it. He had read about this stuff. His mind was starting to break into pieces and before he knew it he would have made-up figures confront him about things he always thought about. The books Tifa thought she had hidden well were always too easy to find, even though he wasn't looking. Most of the books she hid were books about people with mental disorders, how to deal with people with mental disorders and other psychological stuff she found at the library. It wasn't because she found the subject enjoyable, she thought that he was crazy and she had been right in worrying about him all along.

The figure snapped his fingers loudly and Cloud looked back up at him again.

"Hey! Don't lose it now. There is too much work to be done and I've been waiting too damn long to have you fold now, y'hear?"

Now it was Cloud's time to chuckle slightly, "You're a hallucination." He said, "It doesn't matter what you want."

"That's not nice." Lea said with feigned hurt in his voice, "I've been called many things before but never a hallucination. Is this too much for you to take, Cloud? You came here for a reason, didn't you? You're looking for someone. I'm offering you my help. I'll do something for you and you do something for me."

The shadow vaporized in the blink of an eye and suddenly reappeared right beside Cloud, "This is real. So suck it up or put a pin on it, I don't care, but there's a bigger plan, y'see and I'm in need of back-up. What's in it for you, you ask, well, that's easy, you'll get to know the _truth_. How about that, huh? The truth? Isn't that what we all want? Come hell or high water, we're always up for some truth!" Lea laughed bitterly.

Cloud snorted, his brain-ghost was apparently sarcastic as well, "I know what's in for me but what do you get out of it?"

"Wouldn't you like to know? Let me show you a bit of my generosity by offering you a piece of truth now. You don't have the capacity to get half of what I would have to say if I told you about my plan. Harsh? Not really. All you need to know is that you get your fair share."

"And if I refuse?"

"Then I wish you good luck, let you roam around this world until you grow tired of smelling like rotten fish and then watch you agonize while trying to find me!" He flashed him a big cynical smile for half a second before going back to being completely serious.

Cloud fidgeted where he stood. He knew he had no choice. He had no clue as to how he managed to get here and even less of clue as to how to get back, besides, this man seemed better as an ally than a foe and Cloud wasn't ready to make enemies as it was now.

"Okay," he sighed, "I accept the deal. I'll help you with whatever it is you want me to help you with on the condition that you help me get back home and to figure out the flashes of memories I've been having lately."

"Oh, joy." Lea strolled back to where he first had stood. He looked up at the moon and he sighed, "I have a mission for you in a world called Beast's Castle. Find the rose and bring it back to me."

Cloud stared at the man in disbelief. A rose? Had he felt superior or at least like he had some kind of leverage he would have asked about it but he just nodded, supposing that the man knew that he had accepted the mission given to him.

Lea reached his arm out and some kind of sword materialized in his hand. The sword was a metallic blue with silvery parts at the hilt and once Lea had it in his hand he turned to face Cloud again. That could not be what Cloud thought it was, it just couldn't. Lea reached it out to him with a surprisingly indifferent look.

"It's a Keyblade." Cloud said.

"Sheesh, you must be smart or something." Lea retorted, "Take it."

"I'm not a Keyblade-wielder. It won't accept me." Cloud was sure of it. There was too much darkness lurking in his heart for him to be chosen by any Keyblade. He just didn't want his ego to suffer a blow when the Keyblade disappeared out of his grip.

"Look, if this is a cute routine you're trying to start with me, stop it right now. If I'm telling you to take it then take it. We're on the same team now. Take the Keyblade!"

Cloud rolled his eyes and took the Keyblade and he was surprised to see that it did not disappear when he grabbed a hold of it. He could sense a hollow sound coming from it and it rang through his bones, sending a chill down his spine. It was almost like it was speaking to him.

"You only summon this Keyblade when you have to, that means that under no circumstances will you draw this blade in front of a random crowd of people or just to show it off. You draw it when you have to kill a Heartless. That's basically it. The blade grants you the power to open portals to other worlds, all you have to do is think it." Lea stopped for air, "Got it memorized?"

Cloud tried to not look awestruck and he thought he managed. He simply nodded and tried to look as stoic as possible. Things did go his way sometimes. They were few but memorable.

"One last thing, if you even think the thought of betraying me, I will kill you. That is not a threat that is a fact. I'm not a big fan of pulling daggers out of my back and I've been doing that too much lately."

So there was a reason behind all that cynicism spurting out of the man's mouth whenever he even thought of speaking. Cloud gave another nod and the Keyblade in his hand vanished into thin air. He could still feel it though. It felt like the Keyblade was right there and all he had to do was reach for it. He would try that later when his new-found ally didn't observe every single move he made.

"Well, skedaddle then! We'll meet once you get your hands onto that rose." With that Lea disappeared into a black mist and Cloud was left alone in the large and cold tower. During other circumstances Cloud might have felt lost but his mind was completely preoccupied processing this new ability of his. He summoned the Keyblade and a split second later the Keyblade was in his hand. He made it vanish quickly in case Lea was still around.

In the five hours he had been in this new world his own world had been turned upside-down and inside-out. He was on a quest now. A quest for memories he had deemed important. He felt another chill and then his stomach growled awkwardly. He sat down on the spot and reached for the lunchbox Tifa had given him. It was late and he figured that he might as well eat and sleep before starting with his mission.

**ooo**

There were pitch-dark spots of forming Shadows on the tile floor outside the grand castle. Cloud had fought off at least twenty of them already and he loved the power surge the Keyblade emitted into his system each time he defeated a Heartless.

The small creatures made nabbing sounds as they got closer to Cloud. Their eyes shone a bright yellow as they reached their small paws towards Cloud to scratch him. There were no cries or shrieks as the Keyblade cut them into small shining orbs, they simply dissolved into nothing, back to nothing as the stolen hearts within them were freed. Once they were all defeated Cloud could for the first time take a relaxing breath and take in the sightings.

The castle seemed ominous as it stood in the middle of nowhere surrounded by statues of monsters. There wasn't a sound, not even the crows made noise where they sat on trees outside the brick walls. Cloud figured he should get going if he ever was to find that rose in such a big castle when he suddenly heard a loud roar from within the castle. A smaller door on the big oak doors flew open and out came a girl in a blue dress with a cape carelessly thrown over her shoulders. She ran with all her might and Cloud was torn between helping her and hiding behind a nearby statue to avoid being sighted.

"BELLE!"

A horse came galloping from behind the castle and stopped just in time to let the woman apparently named Belle hop on before it set off away from the castle.

Small figures came running out, shouting at the woman as yet another roar came from the castle.

"Madmoiselle Belle! Please!"

"Belle! Come back!"

The roaring beast threw up the big oak doors in one motion and roared the woman's name again. He saw Belle disappear into the distance and for a moment he looked horrified. He fell onto his hands. At first Cloud thought that the Beast had given up but the Beast set into a sprint after Belle. The two small figures by the door tried to keep up but one of them tripped down the stairs and sobbed.

"Lumiere, it's futile."

"Argh! The young master needs the beating of his life! Cogsworth, are you with me?" The figure spoke with a thick accent and at a more careful look Cloud realized that it was a candlestick.

"What are you going to do, silly old man? It is futile! All of this! Look, my glass broke!" Cogsworth got up onto his feet and brushed dust off of him and looked down at the glass covering the pendulum moving side to side.

"Don't be a wuss, Cogsworth! We must stand up for our friend!" The candlestick jumped up the stairs and turned around to see if the clock was following his lead. The clock jumped up the stairs after his friend and sighed, shaking his head in despair.

"I don't think she's coming back, Lumiere. I don't think she will come back as long as the young master keeps acting this strange. I thought that after defeating the odd man in the black coat everything would turn back to normal. That maybe the young master would change his ways and try to break this curse…"

The candlestick put his supposed arm around his friend and they both sighed. The clock suddenly shrieked and stared at the candlestick, "You did that on purpose!" There was a tiny burn mark on the clock's arm and the candlestick simply turned around and continued to jump back into the castle.

"Why do all English have to be so dramatic?" He mumbled.

"Don't make me remind you of the War, old chap!" The clock hurried after his friend, clearly provoked by the comments Lumiere made.

As the door closed behind them Cloud walked up from behind the statue and he didn't quite know what to feel. He had just seen a furry Beast run after a petrified girl and there had been a clock and a candlestick standing on top of the stairs talking like long-time friends. Saying that it was weird would be an understatement. All he could do was focusing on his mission and with no one in the castle but a talking candlestick and a talking clock he figured that the mission couldn't be so difficult to accomplish.

Once he got into the castle he stopped to hear if the two figures were still down here, but there wasn't a sound. The foyer was huge and spacious and made out of the finest of marble. A red carpet led up the wide staircase that split into two different directions by a large door. Cloud walked in and out of rooms, always on the look-out for something strange and once he was through with the ground floor, the East Wing and some of the West Wing he figured that there couldn't be much left now.

He walked into a hallway which was decorated with statues of terrifying creatures. The curtains were all scratched and torn. There was glass on the carpet and holes on the walls. Cloud hurried down the hallway and towards a dark wooden door. He opened it and sneaked in.

The room he entered was a complete mess. It looked like someone had thrown more than a tantrum in here but there was one thing that was still in one piece and it brightened its surroundings. It was a floating rose cupped inside a picturesque display case. He put it aside and stared at the rose in awe as one petal slowly fell to the surface of the table. Cloud took it carefully in his hands and stood back up wondering if he should grab a piece of wet paper to put around the rose so that it didn't die on the way back to Lea. This was surely the kind of flower Aerith would like to have in her garden, Cloud thought as he looked at the rose.

"Are you sure, Chip?"

Cloud froze as he heard the voice of the candlestick in the hallway. At first he thought of hiding but then he figured he might as well get back to Lea and give him the rose.

"I'm not lying! There's an intruder in the castle and I saw him go into the Beast's room!" That was the voice of a child and judging by the soundless thumps Cloud would guess that it was yet another strange animated object jumping down the hallway.

"You better not be making up stories again, Chip." The voice sounded very motherly. The candlestick chuckled and gave a loud sigh afterward.

"Better safe than sorry!"

The second the door made a creak Cloud reacted instinctively and a dark, thorny mist surrounded him, making him disappear from this world into another and the last thing he heard was a collective scream of sheer panic as the three residents of the castle saw him disappear with their master's treasured rose.


	3. Chapter 3 Nightmare never ended

**Chapter 3: Nightmare never ended**

Cloud expected to feel the sea breeze pass through the large and glassless windows when he felt the rays of light reach him from beyond the dark mist around him. He expected the smell of ocean, fish and wet wood but when he opened his eyes there was none of that. The first thing he heard was the annoyed scolding coming from Uncle Scrooge in his stand where a young boy tried to get something for a lower price. He could hear the ducklings chuckling at the scene and then there was a familiar giggle.

"Cloud?"

Cloud blinked and found himself looking at Aerith. He was back in Hollow Bastion. He looked around again before turning back to Aerith.

"Hey, are you okay?" Aerith asked, clearly worried by Cloud's absent-mindedness.

"I'm back in Hollow Bastion?" Cloud asked confused. He was supposed to go back to Lea so that he could give him the rose he retrieved at Beast's Castle. He quickly realized that he was no longer holding the rose and he started to look for it frantically.

"Did you see the rose I was holding?" Cloud asked Aerith as she stood back and stared at him, wondering what in the world had gotten into Cloud. She looked around to see if maybe there really was a rose but there was nothing.

"You weren't holding a rose, Cloud. And we don't call this place Hollow Bastion anymore. It's Radiant Garden, remember?"

Cloud realized how crazy he must seem rambling about a rose only he knew about but he wouldn't believe that what he had been through had been a creation of his mind. It had taken him too long to convince himself that it was real and besides, he had seen the dark mist around him when he came to, he must've thought about the wrong location or something. He couldn't try to teleport back to the port now when he was standing in front of Aerith.

"Yeah, of course I remember. I just…old habits die hard, you know." Cloud shrugged, "So um, what do you have there?" He pointed at the basket hanging from her arm and she smiled brightly.

"These are the new flowers I told you about. They've started to bloom so I picked a few and they're selling well!" She continued talking about her garden and how the restoration was going. Her voice faded into the background as Cloud tried to understand how the rose could have disappeared unless…

"…so the fountains are almost done."

"I forgot to get something at the market place," Cloud said suddenly, "Go ahead, I'll swing by Merlin's place later." With that Cloud ran off without giving Aerith a chance to reply or even ask what it was he had forgotten. She sighed as she kept walking towards Merlin's house, Cloud acting weird was too much of a daily routine to be worried about it now.

Cloud hid behind a building and made sure that no one was around before he looked in his backpack for the rose he was sure he had taken from Beast's Castle. As he looked inside he expected to see the shining rose but he was disappointed to only see his scrolls and the empty lunchbox. He sighed in frustration and looked around again. He exhaled slowly as he reached out his hand and summoned the Keyblade Lea had given him. There was an electrical tingling down his arm before the Keyblade materialized in his hand. He wasn't mad. The silvery and metallic blue Keyblade was real and all he had to do now was to find that rose.

"You're enjoying the Keyblade, I see." Cloud almost snapped his neck when he turned to see where the voice was coming from and as he did the Keyblade disappeared. Lea stood further away, leaning against the wall carelessly and staring at Cloud with his emerald green eyes. "You don't happen to bring what I asked for, do you?"

Cloud frowned, "I've lost it."

Lea walked up to Cloud leisurely with a menacing look on his already stern face, "Well, I suggest that you find it. _Soon_. Or this will never make sense." Lea grinned evilly and with the snap of his fingers Lea filled Cloud's mind with blaring memories. There were only fragments and white noise. He was blinded and all the new information filling his head threatened to make it explode. He fell to the ground, holding his head with both of his hands and right when it seemed like the worst was to come Lea snapped his fingers again and the blaring stopped.

"W-what did you do?" Cloud gasped, slowly regaining composure as he stood up on shaky legs.

Lea snorted, "Always with the questions. I will give you answers when you keep your end of the bargain. Next time, you'll bring the rose and the Desert Ruby. If you fail, then that will be as far as we come. Got it?"

Cloud nodded.

"You should probably see if your friend's okay. There're Heartless roaming around and taking revenge on those who have wronged me is just one of my favorite hobbies."

Cloud looked up at Lea with a petrified look in his eyes. He didn't even stay to see Lea summon the dark mist, but he heard Lea's mocking laugh as Cloud ran as fast as he could down the streets to Merlin's house. His heart was racing and so was his brain. If something happened to Aerith because of him, he would never be able to forgive himself. Lea had probably sent a horde of Heartless just to prove his point and Cloud was absolutely certain that Lea wouldn't even care if someone got killed. The eyes of that man were cold as ice. He seemed so bitter with everything. He also seemed to have a lot of power and yet he needed Cloud to run errands for him. It was definitely weird but right now it was the least of Cloud's problems. Aerith was nowhere to be found and he had already reached Merlin's house. He slammed the door open and ran inside, his breathing harsh as he looked around only to see his friends stare at him in shock. They had clearly been scared by the sudden slam. Tifa was ready for a fight, and so were Yuffie and Leon. Aerith sat by a table, organizing her flowers into a bouquet while Cid sat by his large computer, turning around to see what the fuss was all about.

"Cloud, what the hell?"

"Are you okay, Aerith? Were you attacked by any Heartless?" Cloud breathed, ignoring Cid's reaction. Aerith looked up at Cloud and wasn't sure what to say. Tifa walked up to him with much concern.

"Did you see Heartless, Cloud?"

"Not in town. Not yet anyway."

"What are you on about, Spike?" Cid got out of his seat. He was in his typical white T-shirt and dark pants with a straw hanging down the side of his mouth. He had a shade of beard on his face and he seemed tired, "You must know something we don't." Cid didn't even wait for Cloud to look surprised by the statement as Cid walked to the middle of the room, demanding the attention of everyone.

"I wanted to wait for Merlin before telling you this. Tifa and I were working on some data that came to us the other day and I can't say it's good news."

Leon frowned, "Speak up already."

"The veil has weakened. Something caused it to weaken and it's not showing any signs of recovery."

Aerith looked down at her flowers and moved them around restlessly as she heard the news. The air became heavy and no one really knew what to say. The restoration of Radiant Garden was in its final stages, people had begun living normal lives, and their world was healing. The thought of losing all of this again was too much to handle and just saying that it would be okay didn't cut it anymore.

"Cloud, what did you mean by what you said earlier?" Leon was the one to break the silence as he turned to the blond.

"You said that you hadn't seen any Heartless in town _yet_. Have you seen them anywhere else?" Tifa reacted at the question and looked at Cloud as well. He had gone on that trip to get things for Cid so maybe he had seen Heartless outside of town.

Cloud thought about it. He had fought Heartless at Beast's Castle but had he seen any here? He gulped. He had just assumed that there would be Heartless when he entered the laboratory but he hadn't seen any. Had he? He shook his head and the others took it as his reply.

"There has to be something we can do!" Yuffie said, trying to cheer everyone up, "C'mon, we've made it through before. Now we have the chance to nip it at the bud since we discovered that the veil has weakened. There's got to be something in that computer in that lab!"

"The data was corrupted." Leon reminded her, crossing his arms as he too tried to think of something to do.

"Isn't there a way to retrieve it?" Tifa asked. She rested her hands onto her hips as she tilted her head to the side. She didn't have any memory of them ever trying to restore the remaining data in that computer and from what she had heard the real Ansem had stored most of his research there.

"Tron did manage to recover some of it. I guess we could try. We have to strengthen that veil!" Cid said. He cracked a grin and radiated confidence, "Gotta protect what's ours, no?" The others agreed, most of them tried to show as much enthusiasm as they could but there was uncertainty among them.

Cloud was too deep in thought to actually show anything. Had he been the one who weakened the veil? He still wasn't sure about the workings of the hearts, veils and whatnot but he figured that he had been the first one to use those dark pathways in quite some time. Probably since the last time Heartless started to show up.

They regrouped and decided that Leon and Cid would go to see if there was any data left to restore, Yuffie, Aerith, Tifa and Cloud would split up into pairs to walk down the streets of Radiant Garden and make sure that no Heartless were around. Once Merlin decided to show up they would have to tell him about the strange happenings.

Cloud walked in silence with Tifa for a while before she decided to break the silence, "Took you a while to find the things Cid asked you about."

She wasn't looking at him and her statement was clearly more of an accusation than anything else. She knew he had lied and she was testing him, she wanted to find out how long he would keep that up.

"Yeah?" Cloud had his mind elsewhere. He had to know if he had been the one to cause this and he had to know what he could do to restore it. If only he could leave now and try to find Lea. He wasn't sure what he would get out of the red-haired man, he wasn't known for sharing information but Cloud wanted to try at least.

"Cloud…" Tifa sighed. Cloud didn't realize that Tifa had stopped walking until he heard her sigh again from a distance. He stopped too and looked around nervously.

"I've given you time and I have given you space because that's what I thought you needed when you got back. I thought that if I was patient enough that you would decide to open up and talk to me about what happened but you haven't said a word about where you were or what happened or if the end results were good. You're distant, Cloud. More so than before and to be honest I'm really worried."

This was a lot like how it had been before that battle with Sephiroth. He disappeared, Tifa looked for him, and he came back and said nothing and she would try her best to make him tell her anything, but without avail. How was this different now, he wondered. He couldn't tell her anything because he remembered nothing, nothing that would make sense anyway. He had fought Sephiroth and suddenly a bright light had embraced him for a brief moment and when he came to he had been in the ruins of the castle. Had he won? Was that the reason to Sephiroth's absence or was Sephiroth simply lurking around, waiting to strike when Cloud was at his weakest?

"I…there's nothing to tell," Cloud said with a shrug, "I can't remember." He could sense the scold on Tifa's face. That was an answer she was far too used to and she had not grown fond of it over time. She interpreted that answer as Cloud's way of saying "Stay out of my business" and it angered her that Cloud had so little faith in her. If she wanted to say anything else Cloud wouldn't know, she didn't get the chance as three Dusks showed up in front of them. They moved towards Cloud making it look like they were dancing towards him with their wobbling motions. Cloud looked around to try to see if Lea was around but there was nothing he could see in the half-lit surroundings.

"Cloud, look out!" Tifa came running and knocked out the Dusk that came dangerously close to harming Cloud. She stood in her fighting stance as the other ones got closer. She jumped up high and kicked one Dusk before somersaulting in the air to kick the third Dusk. She landed on her feet and brushed hair out of her face and behind her ear. She had a look around to make sure that there weren't any other Heartless or Nobodies left before she turned around to face Cloud.

"We're in trouble now." She sighed with concern, "Let's find Cid and Leon." She walked by Cloud, deciding that it was best to put their discussion on hold.

"Tifa," Cloud turned around, "How long was I gone?"

She shook her head in disbelief, "Three days, Cloud." She walked off and left Cloud alone as she hurried to find Cid and Leon. The Heartless had already made their way into their world, which meant that the veil was either gone or almost gone. Either way they had to do something fast and soon.

**ooo**

_It's a matter of the heart. If you really want to become a Soldier you just gotta set your mind to it! _

_Certain things are best when left alone. Trust me._

_Cloud, do you remember me? – We're friends, right?_

_Who are you?_

_Don't let it get to you. _

The voices spoke over each other until chaos was all there was. A sense of dread crept over him as the voices went from pleasant to menacing and when the white noise became too loud to bear his brain snapped and his eyes flew open as he sat up in his bed, his heart palpating fast in his chest and his breathing heavy. He was still in his full attire; he even had his shoes on. Cloud was in his room and by the looks of it he had come here by his own accord. His bag was in the usual spot, everything on his desk was like he tended to leave them and only one curtain had been pulled over half the window to let some light come in.

His dream, or nightmare rather, had been very strange and unsettling. He had wandered in what seemed like endless darkness. It hadn't felt like he had been searching for something, he wasn't chasing anyone, he was simply roaming around, hearing different voices until one voice in particular caught his attention. He didn't know who it belonged to but it was definitely a voice he had heard before. As he got closer to that voice the other voices became louder until they were all absorbed by one voice, Sephiroth's.

Cloud threw himself back onto his bed and sighed loudly as he rubbed his eyes. He still had to get that stone and find that rose for Lea. He had never been this close to retrieve his memories, he could feel it. When he decided to work for Hades he thought that Sephiroth had been his problem, he hadn't realized that his problems went deeper than that. The dilemma he faced now however was a different one that not only affected him. If his theories were right then he was causing the Heartless to return. How that was possible, he didn't know but he had an inkling that it had something to do with him.

Cloud sat up and decided that he'd go anyway. Lea had given him a Keyblade, if necessary he would take care of all Heartless that came his way with the power granted to him. He had fought them before and he could do it again. With that he picked up his bag and opened a portal he hoped would lead him to where he needed to go.

**ooo**

The sun was merciless as Cloud climbed mountains of sand outside the city of Agrabah. There had been a ton of Heartless in the city and they had showed about as much mercy as the sun was doing now.  
Summoning the Keyblade had been no problem since the people of Agrabah had been evacuated by a floating blue person and a black-haired man in strange clothing.

If this desert was anything like the desert outside of Midgar he would be in real trouble if he didn't make it to the cave before the sun set. Cloud kept walking until he suddenly realized something. He would have gulped hadn't his mouth been so dry but all he could do was to stare out into nothing.

Midgar?

_We're friends, right?_

Cloud kept on walking. Why did that name feel familiar? Was it a remnant of all the memories Lea had let him see and then forget?

As he walked up yet another pile of sand he saw the Cave of Wonders stand majestically in the middle of the desert outside the city of Agrabah and he dragged himself closer, repeating over and over that he soon was there. He ran inside when he heard the running water from inside the cave. He ran across a large room and into a hole in the wall that led to a dark open space with lots and lots of water. He fell down into it and swam around and drank it as he dived into it. The cool, pure water felt amazingly good as it ran down his dry throat and chilled his overheated body. Wearing as much black as he was wearing and not bringing water in this weather wasn't something he'd recommend.

He splashed around until he heard someone sneeze. He sank down in the water so that only half of his head stuck out and he swam carefully to a place where the light didn't give him away.

"It's got to be around here somewhere,"

The blue, floating genie appeared on the other side of large cave room accompanied by what looked like a walking carpet.

The genie shivered and looked uneasy, "I really don't like this place. It's dark…humid…small…AH! My claustrophobia is back!" The genie flew around in circles as the carpet kept walking looking like it was used to the genies spontaneous outbursts. Seeing that the carpet wasn't giving him much attention, the genie flew back and looked around nervously.

"We're being watched," he said and the carpet turned around almost like it was scolding the genie for not taking their mission seriously. Not too long after that another set of footsteps could be heard and then a girl showed up at the cave entrance.

"Genie," She hurried up to them and looked very concerned, "Have you found it yet?"

"Princess, you shouldn't be here!" The genie looked over her shoulder and then side to side before whispering, "Does Al know that you're here?" Princess Yasmine shook her head.

"I know that Aladdin must be kept out of this. I don't like to keep secrets from him but I know that one day I'll be able to tell him." She smiled at both the genie and the carpet, "If it hadn't been for King Mickey I don't know what would have happened to our world. I'm just glad that there still is time. Let's go!"

Cloud crawled out of the water quietly, following the Princess, the genie and the flying carpet to wherever it was they were going. He had an inkling that they were looking for the same thing he was looking for. He wasn't really questioning his mission. He was doing this for something greater, something with a meaning that transcended that of a stone.

They walked by mountains of treasures and the genie and the flying carpet fought against the Heartless that dared to reside within the Cave of Wonders. Cloud avoided all of them, focusing solely on following the party to make sure that they wouldn't take what he was planning to claim.

"Princess! You hurry to the stone! I'll take care of these monsters!" Genie deployed a massive fire-attack as the carpet urged the Princess to hop on as it flew away. Cloud cursed under his breath but managed to sneak after them in the smoke after Genie's attack. He ran as fast as he could, no longer caring if he made more noise than he intended. He followed a long hallway that seemed to be carved in gold. There were torches alongside the walls and the flames danced along with the drafts of wind as Cloud ran by. He didn't stop running until the end of the hallway where he stopped by a pond of sorts. There were small, gray stones spread onto the pond all the way to a tall cliff and at the top of that cliff was a monkey-statue holding a large, red ruby. The Princess was sitting on the carpet, floating right beside it, inspecting it closely without ever touching it. Cloud sneaked across the pond and began to climb the stairs that had been carved into the stone.

"We have to seal the door," The Princess said to the carpet as she looked around to see how that would be possible without risking the stone getting hit and broken. The flying carpet flew around with the Princess to try and help with a solution. As they got further away from the stone Cloud climbed faster until he reached the top of the cliff. He had barely set foot on the top of the cliff when the genie flew inside.

"Princess! The stone! The intruder!" The Princess turned around, a look of terror written over her pretty face as she was just in time to see Cloud reach for their precious ruby.

"Please! No! You'll leave our world defenseless!" Her yells cut through the air and Cloud could only look remorseful as he looked down on them.

"I'm sorry,"

With that he snapped up a portal and was surrounded by a dark mist that took him from this world and back to his own. He didn't stop to reflect the importance of the stone to those who had been there to protect it. He had a deal to keep and to him the stone wasn't as important as his mission was.

**ooo**

**A/N: **Hi! I wanna thank my reviewers for their input, it's fun to see what people think and also to hear suggestions. If you see any errors (spelling mistakes, grammar...whatever) give me a heads-up. I don't have a beta-reader and I'm sure I've slipped somewhere ^^;; For those who wants to know: yes, there will be more of Lea. Lots more. 

Don't forget to click the review-button ;D**  
**


	4. Chapter 4 Reencounters

**Chapter 4: Re-encounters**

There was a strong gust of wind that ruffled Cloud's hair as he saw light. The sun was setting and the sky was red and orange. The sound of doves came from the distance and he could see a train disappear into a tunnel down below. He was standing high up on a clock-tower and from here; he could see the entire town.

It was beautiful.

"You seem to like playing the waiting-game."

Lea's voice came as a surprise. Cloud turned a narrow corner and saw the man sit with his legs hanging over the balcony fearlessly. Cloud walked up to him slowly and sat down carefully so as not to fall to a certain death.

"Care for some ice-cream?"

Lea reached him a blue block of ice-cream on a stick as he bit into his own. Cloud frowned. Who would have thought that this cold man would take the time to indulge in sweets?

"I don't like sweets," Cloud replied, hoping that they could cut to the chase so that he could get some questions answered.

"It's not a sweet ice-cream. C'mon, humor me," Lea offered him the block of ice-cream again and Cloud took it reluctantly. He took a bite of it and frowned again at the taste. It had a very familiar taste. It was sweet and then it was salty and then it was a mixture of both.  
This was the ice-cream Scrooge sold at the marketplace back home! Cloud shivered. He didn't understand how people actually spent money on this. Not only was it ice-cream, it couldn't even make up its mind about flavor.

Lea shrugged at Cloud's reaction, "Ah, well. You either love it or hate it."

Cloud was expecting Lea to ask about the rose and the stone right away but Lea sat in silence all the while he ate his ice-cream and stared out over the town beneath them. He didn't even sigh or show any sign of impatience. Cloud wasn't normally the one to break the silence but just sitting here was making him nervous.

"I've got the stone with me,"

Lea chuckled, "Sheesh, and impatient too…Do I know how to pick 'em?"

Cloud looked at Lea from the corner of his eyes suspiciously. Lea hadn't looked at him once and come to think of it, he hadn't changed facial expression either.

"You know, it's funny." He said suddenly, "You're trying to regain your memories and I'm trying to run away from mine. The grass is always greener somewhere else, ain't it?" He sounded like he was growing weary thinking about it but Cloud was too preoccupied thinking about what he was going to get once he gave Lea the stone.  
"It's always about doing the right thing." He mumbled.

Cloud looked carefully at his bag to see if the ruby was still there and he held back a sigh of relief when he saw the red stone still be there. He slowly pinched his arm to make sure that this wasn't a dream bordering on nightmare and he was surprised to see that it wasn't.

"What's guiding you, Cloud?" Lea asked and turned to face Cloud for the first time. He had two purple tears tattooed underneath his eyes. Cloud was pretty sure that there had been no such thing the first time they met. Cloud wasn't sure if it was a fashion statement, like the time when Yuffie had gone through a period when she wanted to tattoo a Moogle on her forehead or if this was something else entirely.

"What do you mean?"

Lea laughed his bitter laugh, "I'm surprised that people not remembering still surprises me." He turned to look back out over the town as he let the stick hang out of his mouth, "Then I guess that Castle Oblivion means nothing to you?" He smirked, clearly aware of the fact that it didn't.

"Enough with the riddles already! I have the stone you asked for, I still haven't had time to find the rose but you can at least tell me something concrete like where I should go or who I should ask for more information."

"You wouldn't know what information to use even if it bit you in the face," Lea stood up and stretched his arms nonchalantly; "I hate people like you. Who is it you're after, Cloud? Huh? A _friend_? Let's think about that for a second. What kind of a person are you if you forget about a supposed friend?" The look in his eyes told of a fury he was fighting hard to retain and Cloud backed away slowly.

"I didn't forget him on purpose!"

"You didn't forget _who_ on purpose? Can you answer that? Or was his name too insignificant to remember?" Lea raised his hand and a flame appeared right underneath the palm of his hand. The flame was surrounded by dark, thorny mist before his weapon materialized. His weapon was a red chakram with white spikes and as the first one appeared a second materialized in his other hand.

Cloud gulped and quickly summoned his Keyblade, "Why are you making a big deal out of this?" Lea threw one of the chakrams at him and Cloud just barely dodged it when it came flying back a second time. Lea raised flames all around the tower to restrict the area in which Cloud could move in. The chakrams caught fire as well and Lea jumped from one side to the other and Cloud tried his best to keep up.

"Why don't you just give into darkness already?" Lea's eyes flashed with madness as he threw his weapons again and then lifted the flames higher. The flames really generated heat and Cloud burned himself many times as he dodged Lea's attacks.

"Never." The shock was settling and Cloud became bolder in his moves as he grew confident with the Keyblade. He hit one of the chakrams and sent it flying to the wall beside him. It got stuck to the wall and within a split second it was incinerated as Lea called it back.

"You don't deserve to have a heart." Lea cast a Firaga-spell, sending three globes of fire at Cloud in high speed. Cloud fought them off with his Keyblade but failed to see the chakram Lea sent after them. Cloud wasn't given any time to react, all he could do was to jump back and hope that the chakram wouldn't hit him. It didn't hit him; it trapped him against the wall by his neck in between two of the dangerously sharp spikes.

Lea suffocated the flames with a single hand-motion and walked up to Cloud slowly, "Don't try anything funny or I'll set you into flames." He sighed and then groaned quietly as he rubbed his face, "You're free. Why would you run after stupid memories?"

Lea seemed genuinely confused but Cloud hesitated. Lea was supposed to be a Nobody. Cloud didn't know much about Nobodies but he did know that they had no hearts thus they were not able to feel but judging by Lea's violent reactions Cloud had to draw the conclusion that Lea was either jerking him around or someone forgot to tell him that he was a Nobody.

"I don't remember his name but I know that he'd come after me. That's what friends do, right?"

Silence.

Lea seemed to have expected anything but the answer Cloud gave him. He looked away before replying.

"…right." Lea called his chakram back with a frown, "Do you have the stone?" Cloud quickly reached for the large ruby stone and handed it over to Lea, watching his every move in case the red-haired man decided that he wasn't done fighting yet. Lea stepped back and looked at the stone for a brief moment almost like he felt sorry for it. Cloud had never been good with feelings and having an emotional Nobody on his hands was making him uncomfortable.

"Tell me where I can find him." Cloud demanded at last.

"Oh, I don't have that information. Not now anyway. Y'see, I can still use you for a couple of errands and I need the leverage." Lea was back to being cocky in no time and Cloud sighed. He hadn't really expected it to be easy, "Where are you from, Cloud?" Lea asked in a smooth voice.

"Huh?...I'm from Radiant Garden." Cloud frowned as Lea opened a portal. He wasn't going to let Lea get away without giving him answers but the knowing smirk on Lea's face stopped him in his tracks.

"Are you really?" Lea disappeared into the portal and left Cloud to ponder as to what the hell he meant with that question while he stood frozen as the clocks on the tower rang softly.

**ooo**

Cloud tilted his head to read the different titles on the photo-albums that Aerith had put in alphabetical order. She had probably documented every other event she'd ever been to and he figured that since this was his birthplace he would have to be in some pictures from when they were kids.

It had been three days since last time he met Lea at the Station Tower and Lea's last words before leaving had stuck with him. The words rang in his head all the time and it had forced him to think back. Was he really from this world? Had he gone to school here? Which one of these houses had been his childhood-home? What kind of people had his parents been? The more he thought about it, the fuzzier his memories became and what little he did remember he couldn't trust since all his other memories were fading.

"Feeling nostalgic?" Aerith walked in, holding a tray where she balanced two cups of tea and freshly baked cinnamon buns. She put it down onto the table by the window she had decorated with plants. She sat down and stirred her tea gently, waiting for Cloud to join her. Cloud took four photo-albums with him to the table and sat down in front of Aerith.

"How long have we known each other?" Cloud asked as he flipped through the first photo-album carefully. He heard Aerith sigh as she pondered about it.

"A long, long time." She smiled, "You could be a real pain in the neck when we were kids. At first you were shy and didn't talk to anyone but when we started to talk to you someone told you about girl cooties and before I knew it you were the kid who pulled my hair and ran away or stole my crayons." She laughed as Cloud looked up at her in disbelief. It wasn't that he didn't believe himself capable of doing things like that; it was just that nothing of that felt like his memories.

"That was before our world was ruined." Aerith added with sadness in her voice, "I can't believe it's happening again." Aerith rarely let her worry show, especially around Cloud but having her world threatened a third time during her lifetime was taking its toll and she felt the need to express it. Cloud felt a sting of guilt in his chest and he went back to look in the photo-albums. He still didn't know if he had been the one causing the Heartless to return and quite frankly he had forgotten all about it after his encounter with Lea.

"If you're looking for pictures of you; you should look at the pictures of our class." She reached for the photo-album at the bottom and flipped through it like she knew it by heart. Once she found the pictures she was looking for she turned the album to let Cloud take a look for himself. She pointed at the one picture she liked the most.

"I can't remember why we're all laughing but this is one of my favorite pictures. It's was a beautiful day and I think this was when we went on a field trip to the gardens…" Aerith's voice faded into the background as Cloud looked at the picture over and over again. His heart skipped a beat when he realized that he really wasn't in the picture. He saw Aerith, Leon and Tifa and a few other faces he recognized from around town but he wasn't in here. Judging by the uniforms they were wearing Cloud would guess that they were at least thirteen years old and if he had yet to come to Radiant Garden then where had he been?

"I'm not in this picture." Cloud interrupted Aerith in mid-sentence and she looked up at him as she reached for the photo-album to have a look herself.

"That can't be. I know that you were there." She said but she sounded uncertain, "You almost fell into the fountains." She looked at the picture and seemed confused when she couldn't find Cloud. She tried to find him in other pictures but he wasn't there either. Aerith couldn't believe her eyes. She was certain that Cloud had been there, they had both gone to school together, they had years of memories together and she knew that some of those memories were here; in her photo-albums. They could have talked about this for hours, trying to find an explanation that eventually ended with Cloud telling her about the events these past days but fate wanted something else. Cid came barging in, gasping for air as he saw his two friends sit by the table on the other side of the room.

"Meeting at Merlin's house _now_! King Mickey is here with Sora and some serious shit has gone down."

Aerith and Cloud hurried after Cid to Merlin's house. Cloud felt his chest clench with anxiety as he walked in through the door and saw the familiar silhouette of the renowned Keyblade-wielder from Destiny Islands. Sora and his friends had stopped the Nobodies before and Cloud was sure that they would do it again if they needed to, given that the Nobodies were in fact behind whatever it was that had happened now.

King Mickey was in a dark coat, similar to the one Lea wore. The King seemed troubled and he greeted Cid, Aerith and Cloud with a serious nod. Even Sora had a stern look on his face as he turned to greet them as well. Cloud eyed them before sitting down by the big computer Cid had in the room and hoped that he wouldn't have to say much.

"Where's Donald and Goofy?" Yuffie asked curiously.

"We can't tell you." King Mickey said with the usual gentleness in his voice, "We're here because we have reason to suspect that Organization XIII is back and they seem to have set their plans in motion."

"Didn't you defeat them already?" Leon asked and looked at Sora. Sora stared down at his feet before he looked up and sighed.

"That's what we thought and we're not even sure it's Organization XIII who's behind this; it's just a guess. We haven't been able to find any trace of the people behind this. That's why we came here." Sora gestured with his hand and looked at them pleadingly as King Mickey took over.

"There has been two meteor-falls within the span of a few days. Sora, Riku and Kairi were going to investigate it only to see that two worlds disappeared shortly after the fall of the meteors. We have never seen a world being consumed by the Heartless so quickly and I'm afraid that Radiant Garden might be next. The veil has fallen."

"We only have one rapport on one sighting of three Dusks within Radiant Garden. There is no way that the Heartless can take us down." Cid said, his arms crossed and his face as stern as the King's had been.

"How is it possible that the veil is gone?" Tifa asked from where she stood, clearly frustrated by how the events were developing.

"Someone must have found the door to the Heart of the World and unlocked it." Sora clenched his fists. He had traveled to different worlds, locking each door to make sure that no one could get to the Heart of the World and he had been positive that all he had to do was to lock it with his Keyblade but they had now lost two worlds and its citizens were nowhere to be found.

"What worlds were destroyed?" Leon voiced the question that had been on Cloud's mind from the second King Mickey had told them the bad news and Cloud tried not to let his anxiety show as Sora replied.

"Beast's Castle and Agrabah – we're not sure if there were any survivors. Donald and Goofy are trying to find out if there were any…"

There was a brief silence in the room and at that point Cloud disappeared into his racing thoughts. The others kept on talking, planning and resolving while Cloud tried to come to terms with the fact that he could no longer ignore what he had set in motion.

**ooo**

A/N: This chapter is a bit shorter than the others, maybe you noticed? ^^;; Homework is piling up so I'm not sure if I'll keep my once-in-a-week-updates, but I'll try...that's a small heads-up for those who would like to know :) I hope you're enjoying the story so far and thank you for reading!**  
**


	5. Chapter 5 In darkness and in light

**Chapter 5: In darkness and in light**

Emerald-green eyes looked out over the familiar sight of the town where the sun was always setting. The sky matched his fiery-red hair and his dark coat matched his mood. The plan was in motion now. The puppets were dancing in the palm of their hand. Lea had been reborn on this place and he figured that it was reason enough for him to feel at ease here, and sitting here with a salty-sea ice-cream in his hand was somehow comforting. His memories were scrambled and fuzzy but there was no mistaking the dark feelings he had experienced at re-awakening.

A man in ice-blue hair had been the first one to approach him. An uncanny smug smirk had dressed the man's face as he spoke to him, "Join us, _Lea_." It had struck him as odd that the man seemed so sure of his name. He knew him from before. He disliked the man but the man had promised him that he would be able to take revenge on those who had wronged him and strangely that spoke to Lea on levels he hadn't been aware of having. If there was something to avenge then his few memories made much more sense. He was feeling. Feelings rushed through him like there was no tomorrow and the majority of them were not pleasant.

The blue-haired man tried to convince him that he wasn't able to feel. He was a Nobody, he said but Lea had little interest in what the man had to say. All he cared for was to find a way to shut out all these endless trails of thoughts that threatened to drive him to the brink of insanity. The blue-haired man wasn't the only one he had memories of; he had a few memories of his boss' face too but he wasn't sure what he felt towards that man. And there was this other face. The face wasn't distinct but Lea knew it had deep blue eyes and spiky blond hair – features which a new acquaintance of his also had.

For some reason Lea found it hard to control his anger whenever Cloud stood before him. At first he had thought that Cloud was that person from his memories but in an older version, when Cloud hadn't recognized him he had been on the verge of unleashing all hell's fire upon him and truth to be told he wasn't sure what had stopped him. After their first encounter Lea had seen a pair of teardrops appear underneath his eyes and he had been mildly annoyed. Mainly because he had drawn the conclusion that they had appeared because of his memories connected to Cloud. His anger had kept on building until that evening at the Station Tower when he almost incinerated Cloud with sheer fury.

"_I don't remember his name but I know that he'd come after me. That's what friends do, right?" _

It rang in his head over and over again. Lea had hoped that holding onto that sentence would help him trigger his memories or at least give him something else to go on but it didn't. It felt like someone he knew would say and the familiarity of it had struck a nerve. All this feeling-business was draining him on whatever it was he was on and being a Nobody seemed like the dream but for some reason turning into a Nobody wasn't an option. Apparently his dislike for the man with ice-blue hair topped his dislike for emotions and so Lea decided to carry on with his mission, hoping that maybe his ice-cream wouldn't taste so bitter tomorrow.

**ooo**

The destruction of two worlds was enough to bring anyone down but Sora was trying his best to keep his spirits up. They had managed to beat evil twice and now with all of his friends by his side he was sure that a third time would be a piece of cake. They had yet to encounter Heartless and Nobodies in Radiant Garden so Sora was confident that they were in time to stop it before it spread. He still wasn't sure as to how it was possible for the door to the Heart of the World to be unlocked but King Mickey had gone with Cid to Ansem's study to see if there was anything they had missed. Sora couldn't wrap his head around computers so he figured he'd be of much better use here with the rest of the gang in case the Heartless decided to show up but since none of them had showed up Sora got to witness everyday life in Radiant Garden.

Tifa had put her hair up in a pony-tail as she baked bread. Sora sat down by the table and watched her put the bread in the oven and reach for the timer.

"How come you make your own bread?" Sora asked, intrigued. He had seen plenty of newly made bread at the marketplace and the smell of it had made his mouth water on more than one occasion. Tifa smiled at him as she let her hair out.

"Well, I got this recipe from my mom and I've never come across bread like hers on the market so once every few weeks I make this bread. Besides, it makes Cloud less grumpy."

Sora gave a slow nod as he propped his elbows on the table and rested his chin onto his hands. He wasn't quite sure he understood Cloud and Tifa's relationship. Kairi would probably be able to explain it to him but she hadn't been able to come with him to Radiant Garden. She was at Disney Castle with the Queen and Riku had wandered off saying that he had some "sources" to meet up with. Sora had let him get away with it but not without letting him know that he and Kairi would find him if he got lost. Riku was of course the one to get the last word, saying "Likewise" with a smirk as the doors to his gummiship closed before setting off into the distance.

As Tifa began to clean up in the kitchen Sora came to think of the request King Mickey had left with, "Try to find out more." It wasn't a weird request. Even Sora could figure out that he needed to find out more about the situation at hand but the way in which King Mickey had said it had seemed quite odd, almost like he was suspecting something, or someone in the group. What those suspicions might be was completely beyond Sora. He knew that no one here would want to see Radiant Garden fall at the hands of the Heartless but the King hadn't left him completely clueless. He had made a subtle nodding motion towards one side of the room and Sora remembered that the persons sitting at that side of the room and they were probably the one's King Mickey wanted to know more about. The people at that side of the room had been Aerith and Cloud. Since he was sitting here with Tifa and since she had been the one to bring Cloud up into the conversation Sora figured that there could be no harm in asking more about the gloomy soldier.

"I thought things would be better after the fight with Sephiroth."

Tifa stood with her back to him as she put the flour back into the pantry and she paused for a while, "I thought so too." She said, her voice quiet, "But he's been strange ever since he came back and even stranger the last couple of days."

Sora tried not to be too obvious about the fact that the information interested him, although he looked intrigued. Had King Mickey been right to suspect that one of their friends would hold back information? Cloud had been close to give into darkness before and if he was feeling tempted to do so now then there would surely be a Organization-member nearby to recruit Cloud's Nobody and there was no way Sora would allow a friend of his be used by Organization XIII. Not now and not ever. Sora wanted to ask Tifa if Cloud had told her about anything that would seem odd but knowing Cloud he probably hadn't and Sora understood enough to know that it would hurt Tifa to remind her of how little Cloud confided in her at times. He had to confront Cloud himself and make sure that he knew what was at stake here if he indeed was hiding something.

**ooo**

"_I'm not going." _

"_Cloud…"_

"_I'm not leaving you here!"_

"_You're wounded. All of this will be for nothing if we both stay here…We'll meet again, Cloud. I promise. Give me your hand…"_

"_My light is your light; your darkness is my darkness."_

Cloud woke up with a startled gasp. He lay still for a few seconds, not sure if he was capable of moving. The dream had left a strange weight over his chest and he had to remind himself to breathe. The palm of his right hand was burning and he lifted it and brought it close to his face to see what was causing it. It wasn't until now that he realized that he had a faint scar on the palm of his hand and he traced it with his fingers as he sat up. His heart was beating hard and Cloud gulped. He had to think back on his dream. Where had he been? Had he seen any landmarks? Anything that could give away a location as to where _he_ could be, but all he could remember was that voice but the memory was slippery and it was escaping his grasp the more he tried to remember it. He fought the urge to put his fist into the wall and scream into a pillow. Cloud had no problem in dealing with monsters by the thousands or a bully picking a fight – he knew how face those obstacles but he had no clue as to how to fight against the lack of memories and with Sephiroth gone there was no one he could blame anymore.

There was laughter coming from downstairs and Cloud pulled aside the curtains to see that the sun was shining brightly and judging by the position of the sun it was past midday. Sora was here, he remembered and he felt a hint of panic in his chest. Cloud wasn't sure what would happen if they found out about what he had done and he wasn't sure he ever wanted to find out. There had to be a way to restore the worlds, it was after all not the first time this had happened. As it was now Cloud figured that the best thing to do now was to stay out of the way. He sensed that King Mickey had picked up on something at the meeting and Cloud couldn't risk being caught now. He had to find Lea and ask him if he was the cause behind the destruction of those worlds. He was still not sure what he would do with that information once he had it. He still wanted to find his friend but without the powers granted to him it would be close to impossible to travel around the worlds in search for _him_.

"I'll get him for you. He's usually up by now anyways…"

"Tell him to hurry or I'll eat the rest of the bread!"

As if an instinct, Cloud opened a dark portal and disappeared into it, hoping that the mist would be gone when Tifa walked into his room. He wasn't there to hear any screams or gasps of shock as he left Radiant Garden and teleported to another world.

**ooo**

Cloud recognized this place as that same place he'd been when he met up with Lea at that Station Tower. The town looked every bit as picturesque as it did from up above but Cloud wasn't here for sightseeing. He had to find Lea and make him explain what the hell he had made Cloud do. Cloud was surprised that he wasn't feeling as guilty as he was feeling angry over what he had learned. He should have known that the Organization wouldn't be looking out for his interests. He was nothing but a pawn to them and he was no longer sure if he could justify using the powers granted to him from the Organization to find his friend.

He turned a couple of heads as he walked down the marketplace towards a gray, large brick-wall. Wearing such gloomy colors as black and gray didn't seem to be the in-thing in Twilight Town, Cloud dared to notice as people backed away when they saw him coming. Some mumbled under their breath and shook their heads as they noticed the sword-hilt and Tsurugi on his back. Although he had a Keyblade, he felt more secure having Tsurugi with him.

Cloud saw a hole in the wall and was tempted to take that way. He figured that if Lea was strolling around then he would most likely keep away from the locals, which meant that he would either be up in the Station Tower or…

The curiosity as to where the hole went was too much to ignore so Cloud snuck in and was surprised to see a forest in the middle of town. The silence sent shivers down his spine as the trees swayed in the wind. He walked down a fading path out of the forest and was met with the sight of big mansion behind large gates. As he walked closer he saw a giant keyhole on the gates and he stared at it for a while. Who in their right mind would walk around with a key so large it could fit in that? Then it clicked. He summoned his Keyblade and tried to decide whether to continue or not.

"Curiosity killed the cat, y'know."

Cloud turned around quickly and saw Lea stand further away with his arms crossed, "Are you spying on me?"

Lea snorted, "Well, you give me no choice. Why are you here? Did you find the rose?" He remained where he stood and eyed the Keyblade Cloud was holding tightly in his hand.

"No." For the first time since they met Cloud was questioning whether he should trust Lea or not. The clouds of desperation were opening up and Cloud didn't feel like Lea was his only way out anymore. What struck him as tragic was that two worlds had to go under for him to realize that, "I won't be giving it to you when I find it either."

"That so?" Lea asked with ease as a small smirk grew on his face.

"Give me back the ruby." Cloud demanded, his knuckles shifting white at how hard he was griping the Keyblade.

"Oh, you must have heard about the worlds." Clearly, Lea had known about it all along and seemed almost amused that Cloud _finally_ found out, "Who brought the news?"

"It's not a laughing matter!"

"Hey, easy there, tiger. Nobody's laughing. Heh, no pun intended." Lea's eyes flashed dangerously as he smiled, "And it would be really silly to challenge me. Surely you remember last time." He sighed and decided to patronize Cloud instead of blatantly anger him, "What did you expect, Cloud? You bring me nice, shiny things and I help you find your friend? I would expect that someone with a past like yours would always try to be a step ahead."

"You know nothing of my past."

"I know more than you do." Lea paced closer and gave the mansion a nonchalant look, "This isn't the first time you've made a journey like this."

Cloud felt his soul drop to his feet and at that moment he forgot all the distrust he was feeling towards Lea. He shook his head slowly and hadn't he been as shocked as he was he would have caught the glimpse of pity in Lea's emerald-green eyes.

"What were you doing in Olympus Coliseum, Cloud?" Lea kept pacing around him, glancing at him every once in a while and he showed no sign of wanting to teleport himself out of this one.

"Huh?" was all Cloud managed to mouth dumbly as Lea shook his head in feigned disbelief.

"You do remember being in Olympus Coliseum, right?" Lea asked slowly, making sure he was letting Cloud know that he wouldn't be repeating himself anymore, "Why were you there?"

"T-to fight Sephiroth…"

"That's what you ended up doing but why did you go there initially?"

"Hades promised me that – "

"He'd grant you powers to help you remember your past." Lea finished the sentence for him and suddenly he stopped in his tracks and stared right at Cloud, "But all you did was to fight Sephiroth. Why is that, Cloud?"

Cloud didn't know what to reply; the words got stuck in his throat and even though Lea had stopped pacing around him it still felt like the rest of the surroundings were slowly starting to spin, "_Why_ is that, Cloud? C'mon, think a little. Youwere doing fine until…?"

"…Sora and his friends came along…"

"You had the darkness under control but _someone_ felt you were getting a little too close to the truth – you could have found your friend a long time ago yet you're here. _Again_."

Lea was right. Sora had come between him and regaining his memories from the past. Somewhere along the way Cloud's mind had distorted his goals and suddenly everything became fixated on Sephiroth; on winning against, Sephiroth and making him vanish but fighting against him, winning against him had helped Cloud with nothing. He was still as confused as he had been from the very beginning and he stood here now before Lea without any real answers.

"But what about the worlds?" Cloud asked suddenly, trying not to lose grip on the anger that was supposed to keep him from doing more stupid things and fall for the temptation of just going with what every fiber of his self was pleading him to do – use the power granted to him and find _him_ once and for all.

"What about the worlds, indeed." Lea echoed his question and shrugged, "I'm not almighty, Cloud. I know what I need to know and that's it. If you want to call it quits now then fine, but you know that I will find someone else to do the dirty work for me. You're the only one on the losing end right now, Cloud. The question is; will you let this chance slip out of your hands again?"

A thousand excuses were running through Cloud's head. A thousand reason as to why he should do this – as to why he should just accept Lea's offer and sort out his problems once and for all but then there were other things he should consider like the population of each world that could go lost in his quest for his friend.

"Don't worry about destroying another world," Lea said, almost like he was reading Cloud's mind and he waved it off with his hand, "You've done plenty off that already. My supervisors are pleased." Lea laughed at Cloud's frown and crossed his arms again. Cloud hesitated for a brief moment but then he nodded.

"Good." Lea started to walk away but as he was about to do what had become a classic Lea-leave he turned around with an almost empathetic look, "Ask King Mickey why they're so dead-set against you finding your friend." He looked down and sighed, "And try not to use the dark corridors so much, even the strongest of hearts can easily be corrupted."

**ooo**

A/N: Hi!...Um, I know that it might feel like not much happens in this chapter (that's what I've heard from a friend who read it) but I feel that this chapter is important for what's to come in this story, so please bear with me. If you see any errors, don't hesitate to PM me :)


	6. Chapter 6 Confrontation

**Chapter 6: Confrontation **

Anger was too soft a word to express what it was Cloud was feeling as he walked into the computer room hidden behind Ansem's study. He wasn't in a hurry. He walked in an unnerving normal pace, his face was rid of emotion but his clenched fists did tell about the feelings running through his body. He could hear the voice of King Mickey and Cid at the back of the computer room. Even though he wasn't trying, he managed to move quietly forward and when he could see the end of the room he saw that it wasn't just Cid and King Mickey standing there. They had back-up.

A tall, silver-haired teen was the first one to react to Cloud's presence and his eyes looked coldly at Cloud as Sora reacted too. Cloud didn't do as much as flinch as he walked up to them without a word.

"Cloud? You okay there, Spike?" Cid was the first one to break the silence. He was surely aware of the situation but he was probably still unsure as to how he should deal with it.

"Are you a friend or a foe?" Riku wasn't up for diplomacy and he was more than ready to battle if necessary. Cloud eyed him. He had come across many young men like Riku so he wasn't in the least impressed by his straight-forwardness. Cloud was here to get answers not to beat up rookies. Something in Cloud's stance had made Riku react and he stood in front of King Mickey, making Sora follow his suit.

"I'm not gonna take much of your time, _Your Highness_." Cid frowned in disapproval at Cloud's obvious cynicism but was still torn between going in between or let this take its own course. He looked over at King Mickey and was surprised to see a hint of nervousness in the otherwise calm King.

"Give me back my memories." Cloud demanded, his ice-blue eyes so unsympathetic that Cid had trouble recognizing his friend. Cloud was coming too close for comfort and Riku summoned his Keyblade and pointed it towards Cloud in wordless defiance.

"Cloud, we can sort this out! The darkness is messing with your head!" Sora pleaded with him, still refusing to draw his own Keyblade.

"Give me back my memories, now!" The frustration became too much, his fury overflowed and the electricity that ran down his arm as his Keyblade materialized in his hand was hard to ignore but Cloud was beyond caring at this point.

"How did you – "

Riku wasn't going to risk getting his friends hurt so he was the first one to attack but Cloud found no challenge in dodging the attack while quickly countering with an attack of his own. Sora summoned his Keyblade as well and Cid's protests went unheard as both Riku and Sora went to attack in an attempt to keep Cloud from harming the King. Cid's protests weren't meant to protect Cloud though; he knew full well that Cloud was more than capable of defending himself. What Cid was afraid of was the damage the two young Keyblade-wielders were risking by attacking the blond soldier.

"Sora! Riku! Stop!"

Cloud had caught a slight limp in Riku's left leg and just as he was going to make use of that weakness Sora jumped in between and caught that lethal strike just in time. Strikes came from all directions and there was no pause between them. As good as the two young Keyblade-wielders were they were still in over their heads as Cloud managed to block and dodge their attacks. The final few seconds of their battle seemed to go in slow-motion as King Mickey yelled stop and Riku tried to get to Sora. Sora had raised his Keyblade but he had misjudged his own speed and as Cloud dodged he also counter-attacked and slammed his Keyblade against Sora's back, sending the young man flying across the floor.

"Sora!" Riku gritted his teeth. He could either continue the fight or hurry over to his friend that lay motionless on the floor. Cloud didn't seem to care what choice Riku decided to go with, either way was fine with him. He didn't even seem to be out of breath. Riku's Keyblade disappeared and he hurried over to Sora's side to make sure that he was okay.

"Cloud, calm the hell down!" Cid still didn't know what to do and his eyes wandered between Sora and Cloud. He couldn't believe his eyes. He would never have believed that Cloud would actually fight the renowned Keyblade-wielders who had saved their world once upon a time. Cloud didn't have the patience to pay Cid any attention. He looked solely on King Mickey and the King was truly cornered now.

"Where did you get that Keyblade?" He demanded.

"I don't owe you any answers." Cloud said with an unyielding look, "You've taken something that belongs to me and I want it back."

"You don't understand. It's for the good of everyone!" King Mickey tried to reason with Cloud but Cid could see that the answer infuriated Cloud even more. "Did someone from the Organization give you that Keyblade?" King Mickey asked again.

"What's it to you?" Cloud snapped back, "My _entire_ life is _missing_! What gives you the goddamn right to mess with my life? You claim you fight for the good of light – you travel from world to world, claiming that you do it for the good of everyone – how do we know that's true? How do we know that you aren't the ones causing all this trouble with the Heartless? Clearly you don't mind brainwashing a couple of brains to 'restore the balance'. What else are you capable of doing, huh?"

"You don't know what you're talking about." King Mickey said and did his best to stand his ground but Cloud was truly intimidating and there was no telling what he would do next.

"Then clear it up for us! What is it that we have to understand? What could possibly justify this?"

King Mickey was hesitating. Cloud was obviously dangerous as it was now and he felt that starting another fight would only complicate matters further. Sora was already hurt and King Mickey knew that Riku wouldn't leave Sora's side if he knew that it meant risking him. Had he known this would happen he would have come with the rest of the group as well; the one person King Mickey believed to be able to calm Cloud down was nowhere in the vicinity. He had no other choice. Cloud had brought this upon himself.

"The person you're looking for…is dead."

**ooo**

Surrounded by white walls and emblems to remind him of past times almost made his non-feeling body tingle with pride. He was getting closer to his goal and the Warriors of Light were playing right into his hands. He cast a black shadow over the walls that would repeat memories had it been someone else walking down the hallway but he had learned how to make certain things of this lab work in his favor. Needless to say he was in a very good mood.

The new pawn was so predictable that he almost felt bad at using his weaknesses the way he was doing. The thought of it reminded him of something else he found highly amusing – who would have thought that an emotional Lea would be better than an unemotional Lea? His subordinate seemed to find the matter just as amusing but with a hint of bitterness of course.

He reached the room where his past became real – the room in which he came as close as he could to his human-form and he sat down onto the white throne and rested his arms onto the armrests and sighed loudly.

Never plan too far ahead. That had been one of the few valuable lessons he had learned from his late teacher and that philosophy had worked well for him. He stared at the floor across from him and a smile dressed his gentle face that had been distorted into evil by darkness.

"It won't be long now….my friend…"

At that point a loud, antagonized scream echoed throughout the hollow hallways and that smile slowly turned into a smug smirk. Things were indeed going his way.

**ooo**

The morale was at its lowest and the silence was almost deafening. Aerith had cast a Cura-spell on Sora and the pain in his back was slowly diminishing. Riku was still worried but tried not to let it show. King Mickey sat further away in silence and Cid had his face buried into his hands. Tifa was pacing back and forth, her hands were trembling and her eyes were watery but she refused to cry. The story as to how this had happened had been fuzzy at best. She knew that there were things she wasn't being told about but she was determined to find out what the hell had happened.

Cloud was in a completely comatose state and he had no visible injuries on his body. Tifa had felt her body become a hundred times heavier when she saw Cid walk inside with Cloud on his back, completely motionless, his eyes empty and with the faintest sound of him breathing. Leon had caught her just when her legs folded beneath her and Aerith ran up to them, telling Cid to put Cloud in bed as she healed the two youths. She said nothing else beside that. She put her entire focus on Cloud as she sat by him, trying to bring him back to them.

At one point Tifa had seen Aerith rest her head onto Cloud's chest, just to be sure that his heart was still beating. She could hear small murmurs come from her friend and she wasn't sure if they were pleas or spells, all she could hope for was that it would help.

The sun set and stars dressed the night sky over Radiant Garden and everyone was still at the same places. Everyone was still waiting for some kind of life-sign from Cloud, anything that would show that he was still in there. Aerith sat by his side, his hand in hers as she kept mumbling different spells under her breath. She was getting weary but she refused to give up. Not even the King had dared to speak up from where he sat, watching the scene before him.

Tifa walked up beside Aerith and knelt down by the bed, resting her hand lightly on Aerith's shoulder to get her attention, "You need rest." She said in a whisper and tried to smile reassuringly, "He wouldn't want you to wear yourself out like this."

"He's not responding." Aerith shook her head as if that could convince her that Cloud really wasn't reacting to her spells,

"I….I've tried everything – Tifa…everything, and he doesn't respond." A sob got caught in her throat and a single tear fell down her pale face at the frustration she felt. Tifa could only nod, fearing that her voice would fail her if she tried to speak through the building lump in her throat.

The night was filled with tension and anxiousness. A minute seemed endless and the lingering hope they once had held onto for dear life was slowly slipping away by each moment spent in the room no one dared to leave and as restless sleep crept over the weary group, yet another star fell.

**ooo**

There was something about the emptiness in Cloud's face that made a flare of guilt burn in his chest and Lea frowned. He wasn't surprised by the feeling, what surprised him was the extent and strength of the guilt and something told him that it wasn't entirely meant for Cloud. Lea titled his head to see a tear fall and disappear into Cloud's blond hair. Lea looked around and saw two women sit further away in deep sleep. There was nothing they could do, Lea feared as he looked back at Cloud and he passed his hand over Cloud's eyes, not really expecting a reaction.

He was feeling uneasy and he kept looking around to see if there was anyone there watching him. Lea would know if it was the blue-haired man that was spying on him but this was different. He was feeling a presence that he actually _liked_. He fought back a jump of surprise when he suddenly heard voices outside the house and that presence became more potent as Lea walked closer to the door.

"Sora, we'll just have to trust our friend."

Lea pushed the door open ever so slightly and saw the familiar face of the silver-haired young man standing beside yet another familiar face. Sora crossed his arms and looked away in frustration, an expression that wore an uncanny resemblance to that face with the blue eyes and blond hair from Lea's memories.

"Cloud is just looking for his friend! Why can't he? I turned on every rock on my way to find you, didn't I? Look at him now – it's our fault that he – " Riku's glare made Sora stop in mid-sentence. His friend's disapproval was hard to miss and Sora knew full well how much Riku disliked hearing Sora blaming himself for things that were out of his control.

"Sora, we need to focus on our mission," King Mickey said, "If we manage to get to the bottom of this then Cloud will re-awaken, I'm sure of it. For our friendship's sake, you'll have to trust me on this one."

Sora was still reluctant and he clearly wanted more answers before agreeing to let this pass. It was unfair that Cloud would have to go through all of this; losing his memories and a friend just because there was a "greater cause" to protect. Sora was out on this mission to stop the suffering but as it was now he was causing more suffering than anything else. King Mickey took Sora's silence as an agreement that he would no longer ask for explications for now and focus on the mission at hand.

"The Keyblade that Cloud has is evidence that the Organization is behind this and if they're able to control its wielder than we have less time on our hands than we previously thought." King Mickey fell into thought, trying to come up with a plan. The Organization-members had yet to show themselves which was odd considering the fact that they liked to show off but as it was now they had no clue as to how many they were and if it were the same Nobodies from before.

Then King Mickey said something that surprised both Riku and Sora, "We have to gain control over that Keyblade."

Lea closed the door and hurried over to Cloud. As intrigued as he was by that nice sense of familiarity he had other things to deal with and one of those things was Cloud. Lea was surprised by how heavy Cloud was and before sliding him up on his back he dressed him in a dark coat, similar to his own and he grabbed a hold of Cloud's arms so that the soldier wouldn't slip off his back. He opened a dark portal and took Cloud away from Radiant Garden.

**ooo**

Your reviews always manages to put a smile on my face. Thank you for taking your time to review and *cough* give my ego a boost *cough*. School has been a killer but as you can see I still find the time to write. Things are starting to look dark for Cloud and I must say that there's a part in this chapter regarding Tifa that I didn't like, but a friend of mine wanted me to keep it, so I did. The positive response to Lea has made me so happy. I like how he turned out and I hope you like his character development, and all the other characters as well**. **I have yet to play "Birth by sleep" so please bear that in mind if you're going to review. No spoilers.  
God willing, I'll get my copy of the game next week! (^o^)

And if you see any spelling and/or grammatical errors, don't be afraid to PM me. **  
**


	7. Chapter 7 Dive Into The Heart

**Chapter 7: Dive into the Heart**

"We sure are in a pickle now."

Lea sighed and took a bite off of his salt-sea ice-cream and adjusted his feet against the low porch in front of him. He figured that sitting on the porch would be a bit dangerous seeing how Cloud wasn't able to hold himself up and all. Cloud was propped up beside him, his head leaning against Lea's shoulder and he was still staring out into nothing but Lea couldn't see his face from where he was sitting since the hood was in the way.

"You made an enemy out of the hero. When I told you to ask King Mickey about it I didn't mean for you to go all doom on 'em. I was hoping you'd be the double agent for me here but I guess I'll have to think of something else." Lea paused for a minute, in case Cloud felt like answering but he was only met with silence, "Yeah, well, I wouldn't care about it either if I were in your shoes."

"Hey…" Lea leaned his head against the wall behind him as the bells began to ring softly, "Bet you don't know why the sun sets red." Cloud didn't as much as shift beside him, he just lay there and did absolutely nothing.

"Y'see, light is made up of lots of colors. And out of all those colors, red is the one that travels the farthest."

_Like I asked! Know-it-all._

Without realizing it, Lea burst out laughing. It wasn't until he was reminded by the dead-weight on his shoulder that he realized that he had heard that answer in his head. He gulped and shook his head quickly to get that foreign voice out of his mind.

"That comatose-thing better not be contagious or we'll be in more of a pickle than I thought." Lea muttered as he took another bite of his ice-cream. Losing his mind now was not an option. He had stuff to do, places to be and minds to mess up, besides, his supervisors wouldn't be all too pleased if they lost him now. Or so he would like to think. He held his hand over his chest and took a deep breath. He wasn't feeling so gloomy, as opposed to other days – it wouldn't make much of a difference to anyone else but it sure as hell felt like there was a difference. Lea was taking in the closets feeling of satisfaction he had had in what seemed like forever when his and Cloud's peace was interrupted by a sudden portal of darkness appearing at the far corner to their left. Out of it came a staggering figure in a dark cloak. As he fell towards one of the walls the hood fell back and revealed the figure's identity.

"Saïx," Lea sighed in disbelief. Saïx looked like he had been to hell and back from the way he was clinging onto that wall and he was breathing heavily as he held an arm around his waist. "You're looking sharp." Lea commented and earned nothing but a cold glare in return. For some reason he always got a kick out of teasing the blue-haired man even though his dislike for him was difficult to ignore. Saïx eyed Cloud whose face was still covered by the hood. He seemed shocked and stared back at Lea with a questioning look before he even tried to speak.

"I need to talk to you."

"You'll have to walk over to this side." Lea said and patted the floor on his right to make his point," This guy here has talked my ear off, if it hadn't been for you and your surprise-visit or failed spying-attempt or whatever this is I'd be deaf for sure." Lea grinned at Saïx's confused expression he made when Lea had obviously thrown him off his trail of thoughts. He walked over them instead of going the entire way around and he flopped down beside Lea, wincing in pain.

"What happened to you? Did you trip and fall off of your throne?" All Lea got was yet another disapproving look. Saïx shifted uncomfortably, he tried to sit like Lea with his feet half-propped against the porch but it was too painful. Instead he tried to sit with his knees as close to him as his wounded body would let him before he decided that he had spent enough time trying to find a comfortable sitting-position.

"You haven't revealed yourself to the Keyblade-wielders, have you?"

Lea shook his head, his expression serious for once, "I saw two of them though. And they seemed to be pretty pissed. Did you get into a fight with them?"

Saïx ignored the question, "Who is that?" He asked instead and looked at Cloud from the corner of his eyes. He seemed slightly worried, something which amused Lea to no end since Saïx was always reminding everyone that he was a Nobody and as such he couldn't feel even if he tried.

Lea smirked evilly as he turned to face Saïx, "He's the 13th member."

There was no mistaking in Saïx's reaction. His head almost snapped when he turned to look at the comatose body beside Lea and his eyes moved frantically between Lea and the person Lea had identified as the Organization's 13th member. So Lea knew it all now? As it was now Saïx stood no chance against Lea in a fight. His mind raced as he tried to come up with an explication and all he could do was to hope that his panic didn't show but then he heard Lea's bitter laugh and he gulped.

"I was kidding." Lea said "You need to train on your poker-face. You're not convincing anyone about that Nobody-crap with the way you are now."

"Do you remember anything from your past yet?"

Lea hadn't told Saïx much about the things he remembered, only that the memories were few and messed up which apparently had been enough for Saïx to relax. He wasn't expecting answers from his supposed friend, Saïx would never do anything that would jeopardize the Organization's plans and something told Lea that telling him about his past would do just that. As Lea shook his head in response, Saïx sighed in relief and closed his eyes tightly as he fought the growing ache in his right leg.

They sat in silence for a brief moment before Saïx frowned and ignored the wince that escaped him as he turned back to face Lea too quickly, "You think Xemnas noticed?"

"Noticed what?"

"That poker-face thing."

"Yeah, but who'd notice?"

"Xemnas! Our boss, you idiot!"

Lea burst out laughing again. Teasing Saïx was one of the few pleasures he had after all and even though he knew full well that this man knew a lot more than he was letting on Lea figured he could ask about it later. It wasn't like he was in a hurry anywhere, right?

**ooo**

Chaos. If that was what the Organization had been meaning to create then they had reached one of their goals. There was an unspoken distrust amongst the people they were working with here in Radiant Garden, things that would never have been questioned before were being questioned and getting to an agreement was becoming more of task for each passing moment and King Mickey felt that he was responsible for most of it. This problem had been manageable up until Cloud started to snoop around and King Mickey knew that it wasn't his place to judge but the aftermath of Cloud's actions had been what had led them to this.

The Keyblade that Cloud possessed had been more than proof to King Mickey that the person behind this was Xemnas and his followers. That was the only thing he was sure of because everything else made little to no sense and his mind was on full-speed all day long. The main question was _how_ in the worlds had that Keyblade managed to get into Cloud's hands? The answers he could come up with intimidated him and he wasn't even sure if he should share his doubts and fears with Riku. The only person he should be able to talk to was nowhere to be found and seemingly he didn't want to be found either by the grim look on Riku's face when he returned from his secret mission.

Yen Sid hadn't been in the Mysterious Tower since forever and King Mickey knew that Yen Sid was a man that could only be found only if he felt like being found. King Mickey was sure that Yen Sid must have heard about the battles between the Keyblade-wielders and Organization XIII and had Yen Sid known about the Organization's new plans then surely he would have said something.

At this point King Mickey knew that if he left then the suspicions would only add up to his disadvantage but as it was now he couldn't just sit here and wait for some kind of breakthrough. He was the only one in the group with the ability to open portals of darkness and if the Organization really was behind this then they surely had a headquarters somewhere in the Realm of Darkness – The World that Never Was, was the first world that came to mind although the castle had suffered much damage at the final battle with Xemnas but what was broken could be fixed and if Xemnas was capable of half the things King Mickey thought he was capable of then fixing a castle was well within his abilities.

Chaos was what the Organization had created and when King Mickey left in search for their headquarters without a word to anyone he played in their favor.

**ooo**

He was falling.

He looked up and realized that he was drowning. The surface was in the far off distance and he was sinking like a rock and yet he didn't panic. As he moved to see if the bottom was anywhere in sight he saw a large round window with an image of a sleeping person. He landed on it gently and he exhaled, realizing that he was fully capable of breathing.

_I didn't choose you._

Cloud looked around with apprehension. The only visible area to stand on was this huge window underneath his feet and darkness was all there was beyond that. He looked at the image beneath him closely until he realized that he knew the face of this man.

"Z-Zack…" Cloud stuttered his name; his hands trembling visibly as he finally remembered that name. He smiled in relief, "I remember you." He spoke to the image, "I remember you and I will find you."

_Why do you have my Keyblade?_

The voice was insisting and Cloud got up and cleared his throat, "The Keyblade was given to me." He said loud and clear. He had no recollection of ever hearing that voice that was speaking to him and it made him nervous to be completely left out like this.

_You have a weak heart._

Cloud sighed. He couldn't argue with that. All he could do was to wait for the voice to say something less obvious. He waited in silence when a Dusk suddenly appeared. Cloud looked around again and shrugged, what else to do but to fight the monster and hope to get to the second stage? He summoned his Keyblade and the Keyblade responded like every other time. The fight against the Dusk was nothing and once it was defeated Cloud stood back, waiting for the voice to speak again.

There was a sound at the far end of the window and Cloud walked over to it to see that there was a staircase leading up to another large window. The stairs disappeared behind him and left him no choice but to continue. The large glass had the image of no one else but Sephiroth and the faces of four other people he couldn't remember. It surprised him that he wasn't shocked by seeing an image of Sephiroth but he also figured that the man had haunted him for far too long to be surprised by his presence anymore. He was going to reach for Tsurugi but there was nothing there to reach for and he cursed. He had yet to get used to the Keyblade to feel secure enough with it in a fight with someone like Sephiroth.

_I need your help._

"Yeah, well, get in line." He muttered. The voice actually made a hmph-noise and Cloud hadn't expected for it to hear what he said but he was getting tired of people knowing more than him and then using him for their own agendas.

_You won't be able to fight your darkness much longer. You will need my help._

Cloud snorted, "If I had a penny." A dark shadow began to form on the glass and in the blink of an eye it had grown into a huge, dark Heartless. Cloud backed away, ready with his Keyblade.

_You have to help them._

The Heartless was absorbing power to unleash on Cloud and as a first time meeting one of these monsters, Cloud had little to no idea as to what to do in order to get close and defeat it. He jumped up and got a couple of hits onto the monsters head and the monster roared as it flailed with its arms aggressively. Cloud just barely dodged a hit and as he landed, a massive hand landed beside him as well.

_Don't let him use my powers._

It seemed like the monster was unaffected by the blows with the Keyblade and suddenly the monster grabbed a hold of Cloud and clenched its fist, cramming the air out of Cloud as he struggled to get out of its grip. He knew that it was bad when the monster raised its hand with him in it and before he could figure out what was happening the monster threw him with all his might towards the glass. The glass didn't break when he landed on it and it felt like every bone in his body was crushed as he hit the glass. He tried to gasp for air but it was too painful. The Heartless roared as it raised its fist again to give the final blow and Cloud couldn't believe that this was where it would end. Just when he had started to figure out some of the puzzle his past had become.

_You gotta put some heart into it!_

That was not the same voice from before Cloud had the time to realize as everything happened in slow-motion.

_Hocus-pocus…_

He felt his arms dangle around and as he opened his eyes again, his limb body was being held up and he was back in front of that mansion in Twilight Town. He could see the green lawn, the trees around it and the spooky, abandoned mansion right before him. He blinked and tried to regain control over his body but it took some time to make his fingers move.

"C'mon! How are we supposed to get into that mansion if you can't get that bloody key out?" Lea shook Cloud's arm again and tried to keep him on his feet, "Look, I won't be able to keep Saïx off your back forever and believe me when I say that he will do his part to figure you out – nothing ticks him off more than not being the boss' confidant."

Cloud realized that Lea was the one holding him up and moving his arm around. He caught a glimpse of what he was wearing and he was surprised to see a similar black coat on him. Lea suddenly froze as he saw that Cloud was moving his fingers and he held up Cloud's arm to make sure that it really was Cloud moving his fingers and not an effect of him dangling his arm around.

"Ugh," was the first intelligible thing Cloud managed to get out. Lea almost dropped him in surprise but when he realized that Cloud couldn't move on his own yet he gripped him and prevented him from falling flat on his face.

"Well, good morning to you, good sir. I was wondering how long you'd have me dragging you around everywhere." Lea propped him up against the wall surrounding the mansion and he knelt in front of him and saw Cloud blink slowly as he tried to keep his head up by his own accord.

"What…" Cloud almost fell to the side but Lea pushed him back up again with a chuckle,"…happened?"

"You tell me." Lea flopped down onto the grass and crossed his arms, "I dropped by to torment you a little but you were completely out of it and I overheard a conversation King Mickey had with the heroes and I figured you were out on _really_ thin ice so I picked you up, went away and here we are."

Cloud managed a snort, "So you saved me?"

"I guess I did!...Which means that you owe me big time."

Cloud was regaining control over his body and soon he was able to stand on his own. The coat was strangely comfortable and he looked down at himself again to see if there was anything else that he had missed. He sighed and looked at Lea who was still sitting down on the grass, waiting for Cloud to give the cue to leave.

"What are we doing here?" Cloud asked at last, looking back at the big gate in front of them.

"I was trying to get you to summon your Keyblade to open up the gate."

"Can't we just teleport over there?"

"No, genius. It's sealed."

Cloud fell into thought as he looked away from Lea. Maybe there was a reason as to why Lea needed Cloud to do errands for him. Come to think of it Cloud was the only one to ever see an Organization-member and maybe Lea was restricted to the worlds Cloud had visited. Cloud summoned his Keyblade and Lea got up and brushed off his coat to stand next to Cloud.

"Why do you want to get in there?" He asked and he could feel Lea tense up at the question.

"I'm not sure you heard me but Saïx is onto you which means that there's no time for a Q and A. Unlock the door and just trust me."

"But you're with the bad guys." Cloud countered with a shrug, enjoying the leverage he had for once, "How do I know that unlocking the door won't lead to the end of this world or another world or whatever?"

"Holy…I've created a monster." Lea rubbed his eyes. The irony did not go by unnoticed and as much as Lea hated admitting it, Cloud had the upper hand.

"How do you know so much about me?" Cloud asked, "The truth or I'll walk away."

Lea sighed and scratched the back of his head, turning on his heal to pace around as he thought of how to phrase his answer. Cloud was already involved and incriminated with the deeds of the Organization and his disappearance from Radiant Garden could be considered as treason from his friends' point of view although that might be slightly far-fetched, either way Cloud was stuck with Lea until he found the answers he searched for and as enemies of the real Keyblade-wielders they stood on common ground.

"I don't." He admitted, "My boss seems to know a lot about you, though."

That seemed fair enough. Cloud had created a sixth sense when it came to people lying to him, or so he would like to believe. And right now his sixth sense was telling him that Lea was being truthful.

"What's in the mansion?"

"Don't push your luck, Cloud." Lea was sounding irritated but Cloud could not have cared less. He was entitled to know and Lea should be glad that he wasn't asking about his almighty boss. There was silence and Lea was the first one to break it, "Hopefully something to lead you on the right path."

Cloud raised the Keyblade and it began to shine before sending off a beam of light into the Keyhole, unlocking the gate and making the iron doors slide open soundlessly. This weird sense of trust he had for Lea was strange, even in his distrust he trusted him. Up until this point Lea had been the only one to help him with his quest even though Cloud had to give him things in return.

Cloud followed Lea into the mansion; both walking in silence as they saw the bad shape the mansion's foyer was in. There was broken glass lying everywhere, the bookshelves had wasted into nothing and there were cracks alongside the walls. The stairs creaked as they walked upstairs and Lea led them straight into a white, cold room. He looked around like he was expecting to find something but the room was empty. There were nothing on the walls, nothing on the table – the only strange about it was that it looked like it didn't belong in this mansion. Cloud reached for one of the chairs to sit down and wait for Lea to finish his search in this room when he heard something crack beneath his feet. He backed up to see what it was as Lea hurried over to him but it was just a crayon. Lea picked up the two pieces and looked at them with a growing grin that turned into a low chuckle.

"Seems like you're not the only one being screwed over." He muttered, his head low between his shoulders as he leaned against the table. Cloud wasn't sure what to make out of that, he just wanted to get out of this creepy room as soon as possible. He knew Lea couldn't have made such a big deal about getting into the mansion if a crayon was all he was looking for. Unless that was what he meant with not being the only one being screwed over. There was no telling in what was going through Lea's head as the man chuckled again, his shoulders tense as he clenched his fists.

"Who are you really?" He suddenly hissed and Cloud wasn't really sure if he was talking to him, but when Lea turned around and glared at him with fury there was no mistaking in who he was talking to, "_Who_ are you? Are you back with the Organization?"

Cloud stepped back and stared at Lea incredulously. This would be the second time Lea got upset with him over nothing and frankly, Cloud wasn't sure how many more times he would put up with this.

"We've been through this already. I'm Cloud." Cloud replied calmly, trying to gain eye-contact with Lea but the man was already completely out of it.

"Then why do you look so much like him?" His breathing was heavy and the dark mist was circulating his hands as if he was summoning his weapons, "For how long was I gone?" He shook his head and looked away from Cloud for a brief moment, "You promised we'd meet in the next life, Roxas. Why don't you recognize me?" He slowly sank to the floor, a miserable expression on his face, "I've searched high and low and I end up coming back to you. If you're not Roxas then why are you the only one triggering my memories? Why did the Keyblade accept you?" Cloud watched Lea hide his face in his knees as he ran his hands over his head, sitting in a fetal position by the white table. It was a sad sight, truth to be told and Cloud had never identified with the red-haired man as much as he was doing now. Who would have guessed that they would have so much in common?

Cloud wasn't good with emotions, he had already established that but he felt that he had to at least show some support in a moment like this. He sat down with his back against Lea's with a small sigh and pulled his knees up to his chin. They sat like that for a while, in complete silence. Lea fidgeted at times, sighing deeply as if still deep in thought. It couldn't be good for him to keep harping on this thing. If he needed help finding this friend of his then Cloud would help, it would be the least he could do after what Lea had done for him.

"I remember his name now." Cloud said finally and waited for Lea's reaction. He didn't move from his position but he did reply.

"Yeah?"

"His name is Zack." Cloud smiled as he said it out loud. A couple of months ago all he had to go by were brief flashes of his friend and the memory of a few broken sentences. But now he had a name, his name and his dream was now within his reach.

"Zack?" Lea echoed, lifting his head and looking back at Cloud from the corner of his eye, "As in Zack Fair?"

Cloud felt his already heavy body become heavier and had it not been for the fact that he was leaned against Lea he would have probably fallen onto his back. Was Zack Fair the person he was looking for? Remember, Cloud, he urged himself. What was his best friend's last name? Did Lea know him?

Lea got up onto his feet, helping Cloud to get up as well. He looked tired and _worried._ It was a strange sight but then again Lea was anything but the Nobody Cloud had expected him to be. The first time he had heard about the Nobodies, back when Sora and his friends were fighting against them, he had gotten this image that they were psychopaths who'd step over their own mother's dead body to achieve whatever goals they had, but Lea did not fit into that category. Not anymore.

"There's something you need to see." Lea mumbled as they walked back to the foyer and into a room that looked like a library. Lea kicked the desk and the floor disappeared, revealing a pathway down to basement where'd they find a badly beaten computer and hidden files that had been collecting dust for far too long.

**ooo**

A/N: I'm updating a few days earlier because I won't have time to do it on Sunday. I'm sure you don't mind. I hope that the length of this chapter makes up for the length of the previous chapter.  
Cloud finally remembers Zack's name! ^^ But I guess you already knew who he was looking for, am I right? Well, I hope you're still enjoying the story and please look forward to the next chapter. **  
**


	8. Chapter 8 Betrayal

**Chapter 8: Betrayals **

"Somebody better bloody explain what's going on!" Cid demanded, wiping sweat off of his forehead. The group had met up at the marketplace. It was past midnight and no one but them were out at this hour. They had been battling for hours and they were physically exhausted after all these tough battles with no end in sight. The Heartless had become numerous and the amount of missing people was staggering. There had been reports that other worlds were suffering the same and that a world called Port Royal had fallen at the hands of the Heartless.

Cloud was nowhere to be seen and there hadn't been much time to search for him either. The Heartless were consuming all of their time and Radiant Garden had become a huge battlefield. The reason to why they were standing at the marketplace was because King Mickey had finally showed up and he had brought some company. Riku and Kairi stood beside the King, a serious expression on both of their faces as they looked at their friends.

"We won't let this world go under," was the first thing King Mickey said, "We need each other to get through this." There was no doubt that they would need the Keyblade-wielders to get rid of the Heartless once and for all and it would boost their morale as well.

"The Organization is behind this. We know for certain that there are at least five members involved. One of them is Saïx, second in command to their leader, Xemnas. We're still not sure where they have their headquarters, but –"

"You still don't know?" Leon gritted his teeth, "You defeated them once, didn't you? You outsmarted them once, why is it taking so long this time?"

"We have no answer for that." Riku replied with disappointment in his voice, "This has been weird from the very beginning and we've been focusing on the wrong thing. We thought we had the Organization figured out but we didn't." He paused and hung his head. Kairi looked at her friend, resting her hand onto his arm as he looked up again, "They're using Cloud as a avatar. That's why he could use the Keyblade. We're not sure _why_ they're going through all of this effort to use him or how they've even succeeded to manipulate a Keyblade like that…"

"Where's Cloud now?" Tifa asked with a frown. If they were using Cloud as a avatar then they had to rescue him. He was probably still in a comatose-state, completely defenseless, his fate completely left in the hands of those Nobodies who thought they could do whatever they pleased.

"Probably with the Organization. They have him under their complete control – our only chance is to get to Castle Oblivion before they do." Kairi wasn't comfortable at all sharing this bad news. She could see the worry in their eyes. She had spent most of her life on Destiny Island but this was her birthplace and she wanted to do everything in her power to protect it from the Heartless.

"Why haven't you?" The group had nothing but questions and rightfully so. They had been kept in the dark for far too long and they knew that if the Keyblade-wielders had taken their time to come back and explain it all to them then it meant that they were getting desperate for help and they were probably running out of options since they felt that they had to fight for Radiant Garden, something they hadn't done for the other worlds that had perished.

"Xemnas has sealed the castle. He's using all kinds of magic to keep us out of it. It's not even possible to use a portal of darkness to get through." King Mickey said miserably. Nothing of what was going on made any sense. He had left Radiant Garden to find answers, to help the situation but he had more questions than answers to share and never had King Mickey felt so frustrated. They had only seen one Organization-member and he had escaped before they could get any more information out of him. King Mickey had tried to follow him through the corridors of darkness but to no avail. Xemnas was the one in control, there was no question about it and the scary part was that he seemed to have everything he needed to get to his goal. He hadn't made any attempts to eliminate them or taunt them, not even to rub it in. "There's room for two more passengers in the gummiship," King Mickey said and looked at the crowd, "We'll be needing your help to bring Cloud back."

They looked at each other and it was quickly decided that Cid and Tifa would go with King Mickey in search for Cloud. Aerith wanted to go with them but she knew that she would be of much more use here in Radiant Garden and she gave her two friends a hug each and wished them well and made them promise that they would return.

King Mickey had yet to tell anyone why the Keyblade that Cloud was wielding was so important to get back. Cid was the only who even knew Cloud had the ability to wield a Keyblade. He had yet to believe his own theory but as time passed he became more convinced that he was right. All the nonsensical questions around the theory didn't even seem to mean anything because his theory was the only thing that did make sense. In his mind all of this was happening for evil, Xemnas wasn't capable of anything _good_ and if this was going where King Mickey thought it was going then he wasn't sure if there was anything they could do once Xemnas carried through with his plan.

**ooo**

"Xemnas,"

The silver-haired man stood still by one large window, looking up at the dark sky as his subordinate walked into the spacious room. Saïx walked up closer and Xemnas could hear that the limp the man had walked around with for a couple of days was almost gone. The tone in which Saïx had spoken his name pretty much gave away the news he came with. Lea was betraying them. Again.

"Have you found them?" Xemnas asked in his low voice. His indifference was hard to miss and Saïx frowned. If it was so important to get Cloud why did he seem to be in such ease about him being gone? What really bothered him was that it had taken Xemnas a long time before even mentioning what role Cloud played in their plans. He had always done everything Xemnas had asked of him without ever questioning his motives and yet Lea had been the one to get all the information.

"I lost track of them in Port Royal."

"Don't come back until you find them, Saïx. You've never failed me and there is no reason to start now, is there?"

Saïx bowed his head. It was sad that it would take a second betrayal from Lea's side to make Xemnas realize who he could trust, but Saïx was willing to make it right. They had put much effort into this plan and soon he would be whole again with the only difference that he would have gained all this knowledge and his own plan wouldn't be so far out of reach anymore. He still remembered the goals he once shared with Lea and unlike his former friend he had not forgotten the importance of them.

"The Keyblade-wielders are trying to get into Castle Oblivion." There was a slight twitch in Xemnas' hand but he made no effort to turn around and face Saïx. They had been to Castle Oblivion before but at that time there had been more Nobodies under his command and as it was now he had no time to deal with those brats while they sneaked around in that precious castle, "They won't be able to get in though. I've made sure that it's sealed off. I thought you would want to know that they might be onto us."

Xemnas replied with silence. The Keyblade-wielders had been at loss from the beginning and it amused him that it had taken them so long to even find a surface to scratch on. But they were too late now. Nothing was going to stop him from going through with this.

Nothing.

**ooo**

Lea pulled out a drawer with force and lifted a whole lot of dust. He coughed as he waved off the dust and started to look through the files in it. Cloud was doing the same and he was amazed by the amount of files in these drawers. According to Lea they were searching for a file named "Hojo. M. D.S" but so far they had come up with nothing.

Lea piled up files that he thought could be of interest as he flipped through them quickly before moving onto the next drawer. During his life as Axel he had spent much time in the Organization's library where he had read about things out of boredom while he was on lockdown. It was ironically funny how life worked sometimes. What he had read out of boredom then would help someone else find the missing parts of his life. He suddenly came across the file they were searching for: "Hojo. M. D. S." – it was a thick file at the back of many others. There was nothing special about the name and since it was amongst all of these other files no one would think of reading it unless this was specifically what they were searching for. He put it on the top of the other files he had deemed interesting and sighed.

"Found it." He walked out of the laboratory and Cloud followed. They went back to the white room on the second floor since that was the only place with chairs and a table. Lea took the most important file and flipped it to the first page, positioning it so that Cloud could see what it said as well.

"I don't get it. Why would anyone leave important files like this one around?"

"Ego." Lea said flatly, "What's the point of being a genius if you don't leave any proof behind?" He managed half a smile as he pointed to the file, "I read about this back when… – way back. My boss has always had this fixation with darkness and apparently he went around finding out more, learning more about how to deal with and control darkness. And this guy here was a breakthrough for him. He was the first one to actually take a person's darkness and make a humanlike creature out of it. The thing is that it was nothing more than a prototype, so this doc didn't know how or even if he would be able to control it. The first two subjects died shortly after the experiment but the doc didn't end it there." Lea flipped through the file to get to the part he was going to tell Cloud about, "There was some kind of specimen that this doctor had in his possession. All he needed was a human in its early developing stages, a fetus, to test his theory. He injected the fetus with the DNA of that specimen to make it more controllable. Once his test-subject had reached a certain age and was physically stable he found another test-subject. Someone he could take darkness from to form another being entirely made out of darkness."

Cloud was feeling sick. Whoever wrote this went on and on about how the experiments had been preformed and all people that had been used to form a water-proof theory. The humans who had lost their lives for this mad man's cause were referred to as numbers and "it", like they mattered nothing.

"Why would anyone do something like this?"

"To gain eternal life." Lea said, "That's what the point of the experiments was. Once he succeeded he would have used it on himself to take someone else's body and keep on living." Lea trailed off as he played with the corner of the page they were on nervously.

"What happened after the last experiment?" Cloud urged when Lea's silence stretched too long. The red-haired man looked up at him, wearing an almost apologetic look.

"You happened, amongst other things." Lea turned to the next page and showed him a status report written by one of doctor Hojo's many assistants.

"…the two test-subjects have escaped. Army notified…" Cloud mumbled quietly as he read what it said, he looked up at Lea questioningly, not sure what to make out of it.

"You were one of the test-subjects, Cloud. He managed to transfer a great deal of your darkness to his first test-subject. To the one you know as Sephiroth but at that time he had gained a sense of self – he became too strong for the doctor to handle…"

Cloud wasn't sure what to say or what to do. His heart was racing and he wasn't sure he would be able to look at the file any further without risking throwing up. His hands were shaking and his vision was blurry. Cloud realized that he had no memories of that. He had no memories of ever being a test-subject or being on the run and for the first time since his first flashbacks he wished that those memories wouldn't come back to him.

"Cloud…" Lea shook his head and sighed deeply, "I cannot even imagine what this must feel like…you wanna keep going?" Cloud gave a slow nod and rubbed his eyes and tried to focus on the file as a sense of hollowness filled him.

"Your world was called Gaia. There are a couple of locations mentioned in the reports; the most frequently mentioned are the two locations at the end of the reports; Nibleheim and Midgar. It's not clear what exactly happened to your world – many of the reports mention something called _Lifestream_ and judging by these drawings I'd say that the Lifestream is the name for your world's light and – "

"…I'm from Nibleheim." Cloud said with a short and slightly hysterical chuckle, "I'm from a backwater-village and I went to Midgar trying to prove something – that I was someone. I didn't make it far. I was an average trooper…Zack made it to 1st Class Soldier and when he realized what was going on he tried to save me." Cloud couldn't look up at Lea, he stared down at his hands as fragments of his past were slowly reappearing in his mind. It looked like a chopped up movie and the timeline was scrambled but even the faintest of his memories made him experience a range of emotions he wasn't aware he was having up until now.

"We thought that we had killed Sephiroth. I don't remember much of it but Zack did – we were on the run for almost a year when we heard rumors about several sightings of the Silver General…the darkness in my heart called him back. He turned on the planet and he used his powers to destroy it." He paused as he came to think of something, "We managed to escape – we got to this other world…there was a castle and lots of trees. We were running away from someone else…"

When Cloud finally looked up he saw an unusually stern look on Lea's face, there was a hint of disbelief in his emerald-green eyes as it seemed like this huge puzzle of intrigues and coincidences that weren't coincidences came together in Lea's mind. Cloud had been the first subject to survive that kind of experiment. In the new experiments made in this disgusting research project there had been much praise of doctor Hojo's legacy but in order to copy it the people copying it would have had the need to study Cloud and if they had Cloud they would be able to get to Sephiroth. And once that was done they would be able to replicate it and reach better results – they would be able to live on forever through the darkness in people's hearts. There was only one person Lea knew of who held that kind of knowledge, only one person with that kind of power.

"…Xemnas."

**ooo**

A/N: Just wanted to thank you all for your kind reviews and please look forward to next chapter!


	9. Chapter 9 Belief

**Chapter 9: Belief**

"Sora! Donald! Goofy!" King Mickey called out to his friends as he saw them at a far distance. They had decided to meet up at the Sandlot in Twilight Town after many and exhausting travels to other worlds. Twilight Town should have been the obvious choice from the beginning, so obvious that they figured the Organization would go somewhere else but the Organization-members could be playing mind-games with them. The Organization knew that they knew that the Organization knew and so they threw them off track.

"There isn't a trace of them in town or in the underground tunnels." Sora said as they got in hearing range.

"Did you look for them in the Twilight Mansion?" King Mickey knew that the Organization had had much interest in the mansion before and seeing how they had to have a headquarters somewhere, the Twilight Mansion was a good candidate for it.

"That's where we went fist." Goofy admitted and looked over his shoulder to make sure that Donald was keeping up.

"But we couldn't get it open." Donald finished with a beat shrug. Sora frowned and managed a halfhearted smile,

"Someone must have opened the seal with a Keyblade and then he must have sealed it with both the Keyblade and magic to keep us out of it. We tried and we tried but there was no way around it."

"Cloud has back-up." King Mickey said pensively. Could it be that he was in Saïx's company? That wouldn't make any sense. Cloud was the one with the power over his Keyblade; he didn't have to take orders from anyone which meant that Cloud was doing this voluntarily. But why?

Tifa got in front of him, her arms crossed and a weary expression on her face, "Are you saying that Cloud is betraying us?" Her voice was calm but challenging all the same. She knew Cloud. She had known him for the greater part of her life and she knew that there was nothing that would make Cloud turn on them and make him _destroy_ Radiant Garden. Not even under the influence of darkness.

"I know that it's hard to believe but the darkness can make people do outrageous things. That is why we must find Cloud to stop this madness."

Tifa wasn't sure what do to. As it was now she was following King Mickey to get to Cloud. Up until now she had believed that the Keyblade-wielders possessed great powers but judging by how things were now they were playing the guessing-game, hoping that they would get it right. She was grateful for their help but she knew in her heart that there was much secrecy here and if only they could just be open with things, this would be much easier.

"King Mickey," Sora said with realization in his eyes, "What if they are in the World that Never Was?" The idea was incredulous. The World that Never Was shouldn't have survived the last battle against Xemnas. The castle had been destroyed and it had disappeared along with the Organization.

"We should have seen it by now." King Mickey said. He had tried to enter the World that Never Was but there hadn't been a single trace of that world. There was no passage way that led to it, almost like it had never existed, but there was one thing King Mickey had forgotten to take into account.

"Not if they're protecting it like they're doing with Castle Oblivion." Goofy countered and Donald nodded in agreement.

"How much power does this Xemnas-guy have?" Cid asked amazed. From the very beginning they had suspected this Xemnas and from what he had understood he was a Nobody – a heartless shell who wanted to create Kingdom Hearts and use it for his own twisted motives, but he had been defeated before he succeeded. Now they were telling him that Xemnas was back from the dead, destroying worlds for some unknown reason? It couldn't be because of Kingdom Hearts this time, there was no Kingdom Hearts to be seen.

"He's not the one protecting Castle Oblivion." Sora finally said with an awestruck expression, "He's protecting the World that Never Was – there are only three of them! You guys! There are only three Organization members! That's why they haven't been showing off! They couldn't afford to lose against us. That's why Saïx fled. The third one is the one with Cloud and he must have sealed the mansion with magic." The last time he had battled the Organization they had not acted the way they were acting now. Saïx would have gone all out to destroy them if he could but he couldn't. With him gone then the magic sealing off Castle Oblivion would disappear as well but by protecting that castle with so much magic then he couldn't use as much in battle. The same was true for Xemnas and whoever was with Cloud.

There was a surge of confidence in the group. Three Organization-members wouldn't be a match, all they had to do was to find them and eliminate them once and for all.

"How do we get to the World that Never Was?" Tifa asked with a sense of hope she hadn't even realized she had missed. She even half-expected Sora to frown and say that there was no way to get there but the young hero grinned widely, "We'll crack the seal. The portal in the basement should still be there!"

The group hurried to the Twilight Mansion, ready for whatever challenges might come in their way.

**ooo**

Cloud was surprised that there was no one to be seen in the back of Ansem's study as they walked up to the big computer. Lea typed in some kind of code that opened a window with six different boxes where he had to type in six different passwords. The computer bleeped and Lea proceeded further into the back. Cloud wasn't sure what they were doing back in Radiant Garden. Lea had s aid that there was something he needed to look into and Cloud had agreed to come with him. Lea had been unusually quiet since that episode in the white room. He had clearly decided to sort it out later when Cloud told him about Zack but Lea's silence was worrying Cloud and it didn't feel right to let it be when Lea had helped him so much.

Lea had called him Roxas and he had told him about a promise made to meet in the next life, meaning that Roxas must be dead. Cloud wasn't good at comforting others, he rarely saw a silver lining because usually, for him, there was none. But the defeated look in Lea's eyes when he was certain that Cloud was Roxas had pulled a string in Cloud's heart and he could only think back on the crushing weight on his chest when he had thought that Zack was dead.

"D'you believe in something beyond us?" Cloud asked as they walked slowly down the glassed floors.

"Like fate, you mean?"

Cloud smiled in amusement, "Yeah, sure. Let's call it fate." Lea snickered at Cloud's comment and shrugged in reply.

"Back home we believed in the circle of life. The Lifestream ruled over life and death. Once we died we returned to the Lifestream where our memories created small strings of light and gave it more strength to create more life."

"So you're world was quite the happy place?"

Cloud's expression darkened and he scratched the back of his neck restlessly, "Not really. No one cared for the Lifestream anymore. We used it to create energy to make life easier and more comfortable to live. We abused it until there was nothing left to abuse."

"No place for sinners in the Lifestream then."

"You're reborn until you're good enough to form part of the Lifestream's core." Cloud said it almost like he was repeating the words from a distant memory. Lea picked up the pace as if trying to run from his own thoughts.

"What's the point of being reborn if you don't remember what you're supposed to redeem?" He mumbled, not meaning for Cloud to hear.

"The memories will be there even if you don't remember them. The Lifestream will remember for you." Lea turned around to face Cloud and just for a brief second he looked hopeful and Cloud smiled at him right before Lea shook his head and gave Cloud a push.

"Well, look at you being all deep and cheery all of a sudden!"

Cloud laughed as he pushed back. They walked down to the same place where Cloud had fought against Riku and Sora and where King Mickey had told him that Zack was dead. He felt nauseous at the thought but he stood his ground as Lea walked to the middle of the room and opened a secret passage way. Beneath them was a spiral staircase that went down multiple stories before the walls changed colors to clinical white. There were insignias of the Nobodies on the walls and as they passed by one large corridor Lea turned to face Cloud again.

"Stay here."

Cloud sighed and leaned against the wall as Lea disappeared further into the hallway. Lea wasn't sure what could be left in these dungeons since he hadn't been here in forever. Xemnas was the one that spend the most time down here, and of course Xigbar - who loved to eavesdrop when Xemnas sat in the Chamber of Slumber for hours on end. All he knew was that these dungeons were still in use and if he was lucky he would find what he was searching for. He opened a few of the electrically locked doors. There were still human remains in there, nothing but bones but Lea wasn't fazed by it. There was nothing he could do for them. Halfway down the hallway he came across the cell he was after, he opened it and stepped inside. There was a large container in the middle of the room and the remains of greenish and murky liquid were left in small traces on the floor and the bottom of the tank.

Lea ran over to the computer at the left corner to see its last time of use. Laughter escaped him as he saw that he had missed his target by a few hours and there was only one person right now who would take the time to get his hands soiled.

"That son of a she-dog," He smiled and logged out. Saïx was after them and since he was having trouble actually _finding_ them he must have figured that he should use bait to lure them out, besides, Xemnas needed to keep his assets close by and the lab here in Radiant Garden wasn't so safe anymore. He hurried back to Cloud, dragging the blond with him as they hurried up the stairs.

"I have good news and bad news. I'm gonna start with the good news but whatever you do, don't stop running. We don't have time to waste. Got it memorized?"

"In stone." Cloud replied as he hurried after Lea.

"Your friend Zack is alive 'n kicking. That's the good news. Bad news: Saïx took him to Xemnas to lure us out so that they can get their little pawns on you. This means that we have to get back to the Twilight Mansion ASAP."

"Then why aren't we teleporting?" Lea froze in his tracks, causing Cloud to almost break his nose against Lea's back as he ran straight into him.

"Good thinking." Lea opened a portal of darkness and both of them disappeared into the thorny mist and out on the other side, back to the Twilight Mansion. They hurried down into the basement where the badly beaten computer was. The basement was as dusty as they left it but this time they weren't there to search for any files. Cloud was feeling nervous. Had Zack been here all along without them even noticing?

"Is he here?" Cloud asked as Lea walked up to a metal door, trying to get it open but it had oxidized with the rest of the wall. Lea stepped back and threw a blasting fireball at it, leaving a huge hole on the wall that steamed with melted metal.

"No, he's in the World that Never Was. I haven't been there in a long time and I'm guessing that I'm not allowed into our clubhouse no more and this is the only portal that leads there." Just as they stepped through the hole in the wall they could hear an explosion from outside the mansion. They stopped for just a split second but then Cloud remembered what Lea had said about not stopping and so he pushed Lea into the portal and got in himself as well.

There was no time to lose.

**ooo**

The World that Never Was, was a dark place. There were high, empty buildings in a city with no citizens. Shadows showed up every once in a while but they weren't too much trouble to get rid of. It was starting to rain and there was a chilly wind. The lifelessness of the city gave Cloud chills and hadn't it been for Lea he would have gotten lost in this city within a few minutes of getting there. For some reason he was expecting to find Zack around every corner. The anticipation was growing for each passing second and he'd be damned if he failed to rescue Zack now.

"Stay behind me," Lea urged whenever Cloud started to speed up, "You're the target right now. So make them work for it, don't play them right into their hands." Cloud rolled his eyes and let Lea walked a few steps ahead of him. He did seem a bit tense being here but Cloud couldn't really blame him. The atmosphere was suffocating at best and something told Cloud that Lea didn't have good memories of this place. Maybe it were memories of the person Lea longed for, Cloud was curious and even though he wasn't the one to meddle, he just couldn't leave this be.

"Back when we were at the mansion and – "

"I flipped out? Yeah, not my finest moment. I'm sorry I took it out on you – twice." Lea gave him a weak smile, "You just remind me of someone I knew once."

"Roxas." Cloud said with a slight nod. It must have been someone very important to Lea for him to have lost it the way he had. Lea struck him as a collected man and back at the white room he had been anything but collected.

"Tell me about him." Cloud had expected Lea to oppose and make him nag but he chuckled and shrugged.

"What can I say? He was a stubborn little brat who followed his heart even though he was a Nobody. He made me go through hell. He always acted like he had a heart, like he really, truly felt what he thought he was feeling and before I knew it I was acting the same."

"But you're not a Nobody anymore, right?" The way in which Cloud said it in such an obvious manner made Lea turn around in surprise and stare at the blond in astonishment. "What? You're not. Right?"

"How do you figure?"

"I don't know. You've been acting like someone who has bottled his feelings so much that you can't do it anymore. And when we first met you struck me as very…bitter." Cloud said slowly, waiting for some kind of reaction before continuing, "I just – I'm not sure that's what Nobodies do?" Lea looked like he had been hit by lightning the way he stared at Cloud with an open mouth.

"Well…look who's talking! Mr. Happiness himself. Who died and made you a shrink?" Lea said, he's facial expression making the comment far more comical than he probably intended. Cloud shrugged again, a small smile curving his lips as he tried not to laugh at Lea's reaction.

"No offense. I just happen to read the psychology books a friend of mine keeps taking home from the library. She happens to think that I'm delusional and that I might suffer from personality disorders." Lea looked stunned for the second time that evening and the genuine look of surprise on his face was quite refreshing. It lasted for a whole second before it all sank in and made Lea laugh out loud which in turn made Cloud laugh as well as he scratched the back of his neck sheepishly.

"I didn't see that one coming." Lea chuckled on as they continued through the city that was never meant to be.

**ooo**

**A/N: So first off I want to say thank you for sticking with this story and all of you who have reviewed it. You make me really warm and fuzzy inside ^^ Secondly, I must warn for future chapters. Mainly because of BBS-spoilers and angst, that's all I can say for now ^^;; I have written ahead so I'll try to post next chapter in a week or so.  
**


	10. Chapter 10 Circle of Life

**WARNING! This chapter contains _character death,_ _angst_ and _violence_. **

**.  
**

**ooo**

**Chapter 10: The Circle of Life**

"Run!"

Cloud ran as fast as his legs carried him and Lea followed soon after he had cast a fire spell to divert their unwanted followers. Tifa's voice still rang in Cloud's ears as they ran into a narrow alleyway. He knew that he would have lots to explain once things settled but there was nothing he could do about it right now. All focus was in getting into the castle without being noticed by Xemnas so that they could get to Zack without risking hurting him. They had been like dears caught in the headlights when they first had heard Tifa call out for him but what had shocked Lea the most was when Sora recognized him as Axel. Fortunately they had both reacted quickly and here they were now, hoping that they had shaken off the heroes. It wasn't raining as much as before; it was drizzling.

A bolt cracked through the dark clouds building above them and the large skyscraper in front of them made a sound of white noise as its screens reacted to the electricity.

"I see you have finally found your way home, Lea."

Lea cursed under his breath as he stepped in front of Cloud and stared straight ahead before a portal of darkness opened and out stepped no one else but Saïx. He wore a grim look on his face as he waved off the portal behind him which disappeared in an instant. He kept his distance as he saw Lea's dangerous glare and he watched Cloud's stance change.

The large skyscraper behind him looked even more ominous as the large screens on it started to blare with white noise, occasionally showing half-clear images of what seemed to be memories. At some point Cloud recognized Radiant Garden and just as he thought that the screens might be showing his memories he saw the image of a young Lea.

"You're not betraying us again, are you?" His tone was nothing less than patronizing and Saïx matched Lea's glare with his own. Saïx was difficult to read, but regardless of his state of mind he was always lethal once he had set eyes on his prey. His fury burned in his cold eyes and his fists were clenched tightly, "You're not betraying _me_ again, are you, Lea?"

Lea flashed him a cocky grin and shrugged, "I abandoned our plans a long time ago." Saïx's cold exterior broke for a split second but he quickly composed himself and he glared at Cloud quickly before turning his attention back to Lea.

"You think that he will remember you?" Saïx asked mockingly, "He's using you, just like that traitor Roxas did and at the end of the day there will be no one to remember your existence." Saïx knew that he was playing with one of Lea's greatest fears, he knew that it would probably feed the despise Lea felt for him but as it was now that was all he could do to stop Lea from doing something monumentally stupid.

"That doesn't matter anymore," Lea said, looking Saïx right in the eye as feelings of familiarity overwhelmed him while realizing that this man had been his best friend once upon a time. "This has got to stop. _Isa_."

It was petrifying to actually see Saïx's wall of self-control break at the sound of his own name and his face twisted in an expression of disgust, "Don't call me that." He hissed as he summoned his weapon, a big blue Claymore. "My name is Saïx. I am second in command in Organization XIII and you are a traitor!" Lea summoned his weapons and jumped out of Saïx's way just as he came flying against him, pushing Cloud back to give the blond a boost as he too jumped away.

As Cloud watched Lea throw his chakrams at Saïx he decided that he would stay out of this fight. A blind man could see that there was much more behind this than what met the eye and if he saw that Lea was in trouble then he would not hesitate to go in between but as it was now he had just been the last straw.

They were going all out; there was nothing to hold back on now as rage that had lain dormant for so long forced its way out. "Stop being so thickheaded! You're Isa! Not Xemnas' lapdog!" Lea said, trying to reach out to someone he knew was in there, behind those many layers his friend had formed as a Nobody.

"Shut up!"

They were out to hurt each other, of that there was no doubt. Frustration built in both of them whenever they missed and they threw taunting words at each other. Lea laughed mockingly each time he jumped up in the air to avoid Saïx's berserk-attacks.

"I'm up here, babe."

Saïx's golden eyes shone brightly in the moonlight that cracked through the dark clouds up in the sky. His cool exterior had completely cracked and the mad man hiding beneath it was nothing short of terrifying. His eyes were filled with emotions he couldn't hold back anymore, "Shut up, Lea!" He yelled as he jumped up in the air, lifting his Claymore over his head almost effortlessly and he swung it at Lea without even thinking about the damage he could cause with just one strike.

"You abandoned me!"

Lea stopped one of the attacks with his chakrams, catching a glimpse of Saïx's mad eyes and he gritted his teeth.

"I followed you here, didn't I?"

What had their plan been anyway? The memories of it were painstakingly clear and right now there was nothing in his mind strong enough to keep them from echoing in his head and for each time they were given attention they raised in volume. It had all started as innocent child's play. They wanted to govern Radiant Garden, the world they once called home. As kids they believed in almost every rumor that went around town and the word on the street at that time had been about Ansem's research and world-travels. Being nothing but an ordinary kid didn't really cut it once they heard about the rumors that the only one who could do this was Ansem, King of their world, thus the plan to govern Radiant Garden. They would be forever remembered as governors of the Kingdom of Light, not only in their world but in other worlds as well.

Lea and Isa tried to get into the castle countless of times but they were always stopped by the guards. For a period of time their plan was all they could think of but then something happened that made life excruciatingly real.

One night there were meteor falls, it was a night of parades and Lea and Isa had been at the marketplace when they saw this strange occurrence and the wished upon it as it disappeared. That had been their last day as kids because when they went back home they were met by nothing but ruble and burning remains of what once used to be a small little village outside of Radiant Gardens center.

In the blink of an eye they had become orphans. Life was no longer what it had been and within days of their loss they heard of rumors again. Ansem had found new material that would facilitate his journeys right where the meteor had fallen. This rumor was verified when Lea and Isa saw men in the uniforms of the royal guards walk around the remains of their home, collecting strange materials.

Their hatred consumed them by each passing day and the plan to rule Radiant Garden faded and was replaced with a much darker plan. They were going to avenge their families and make Ansem pay for his indifference to those who had lost their home and loved ones.

They had just recently turned eighteen and were celebrating at a pub when they met one of Ansem's apprentices. The man had a strange ability to draw out secrets right out of them and before they knew it they had told the man about the events they had lived in their young lives. They talked for hours and Isa had been fascinated by the man's way of thinking and once the man was gone Isa told Lea about their new plan to avenge their families.

On the same day that Radiant Garden was destroyed and renamed to Hollow Bastion they gave into darkness and became Nobodies. The first world they got to see was Twilight Town and Lea – no, Axel – had been mesmerized by the beauty of the picturesque city only to learn that they couldn't feel such things. Everything he was now was simply an echo of his whole self. He was merely imitating Lea. Axel had no right to be, as a being shunned by Light and Darkness he had no right to exist.

When he tried to mourn the loss of himself he realized that he couldn't and he looked over at Isa thinking that he would be the reminder of the person he used to be and with Isa there Lea would never die.

They had barely been in the Organization for a day when the two friends decided to take control of it. With the power of the Organization they would avenge their families and rise above Ansem as rulers of Kingdom Hearts. But as time went by, as life as a Nobody changed, Axel gave up on those plans and he had tried to give his non-existence another meaning.

Saïx winced as he landed back on the ground and he staggered slightly as he watched Lea land on his feet as well.

"Cloud!"

Lea couldn't turn around to see who that voice belonged to but the amount of footsteps and the desperate voice of a woman was enough for him to realize that the heroes were onto them. Cloud had barely turned around to face his friends when high flames rose up from the ground, creating a large circle around Saïx, Lea and Cloud.

"You've always been weak," Saïx spat, "Your father is turning in his grave out of shame!" Lea's chakram swooshed right by Saïx's face, leaving a small cut on his cheek as the chakram returned.

"I won't miss next time."

"What did you win on siding with the brat?" Saïx asked mockingly, "We had Kingdom Hearts! Our dream was within our grasp and you threw all that away for nothing!" Saïx jumped away just in time to dodge Lea's powerful Firaga-spell. "The knowledge of the worlds all gone for nothing."

Lea glared at him dangerously and then he made his chakrams disappear. Saïx was blinded with his own lies and fears. He claimed to want his heart back but in truth he was still too weak to deal with the feelings he had suppressed when they had lost everything they had defined themselves by, the reason they had turned into Nobodies was because they had realized that it would be easier to go forward with their plan if they felt nothing.

The Isa he knew had slowly disappeared and he had been replaced with a cold, devious man who still couldn't look back at his past in fear of having to feel again. Lea was furious and he walked up to Saïx, each step more determined than the other. Saïx stared at him, confused as to what to do. What the hell was Lea doing?

In the blink of an eye Lea disappeared and reappeared right in front of Saïx, taking him by the collar of his coat forcefully as he stared right at him. There was a different kind of anger written over Lea's face.

It was…disappointment.

"You were my brother, you idiot!" He yelled, shaking Saïx violently as he did, "What the hell is the knowledge of the worlds if you're alone, huh? You get to Kingdom Hearts and then what? I followed you here because you were all I had! I killed for you, thinking that once we had Kingdom Hearts we could go back to normal, that maybe all of this was a long and horrid nightmare but that I'd wake up – and we'd go to the marketplace…get some ice-cream and mock the guards." Lea was shaking with fury, looking Saïx dead in the eye. He let go of the coat with one hand only to punch Saïx in the face. "_You_ abandoned _me_!" He yelled as Saïx looked back at him with a shocked expression, feeling the bruise bloom at the side of his mouth.

"And you know what? You're right. You _are_ Saïx because Isa would never do what you're doing. He wouldn't be so scared of everything – he would never run away from his own feelings the way you're doing now. You killed my brother and for that I hate you."

Saïx took a swing at Lea, making him take a few steps back as he slid his hand under his nose only to see that he was bleeding. What first had started out like a fight with tools of darkness became a hand-on-hand brawl and neither of them were pulling on the punches.

As Saïx jumped back for a brief pause he spat to get the foreign coppery taste out of his mouth. It seemed like he caught himself with this inexcusable human behavior and he was frightened. He threw blocks of ice at Lea, three-four at a time and while Lea did his best to dodge them Saïx summoned his weapon again. Lea instinctively summoned his chakrams to defend himself against a strike that would have been lethal had it hit him.

The screens were blaring more violently now and they were showing fragments of thousands and thousands of memories crashing into each other as they fought. Sometimes they could hear faint voices but most of it was drowned in the insisting white noise.

They were in their own world now; they were beyond words and reason. Cloud was vaguely aware of his friends behind the flames. They were just as silent as he was, just as awestruck by the scene unfolding before them. At one point Sora had tried to interfere by casting ice-spells at Lea's surrounding flames but Cloud had countered with basic fire-spells of his own. He understood the young Keyblade-wielder's need to interfere, he wasn't one to stand on the sidelines when two people were hurting each other but as Cloud had realized earlier; this was something that stretched beyond their understanding. It was something only the two involved could solve. He was keeping a close eye on the fight. Lea was getting badly beaten and Cloud would lie if he said that he didn't feel the urge to intervene when suddenly the two touched ground again.

Saïx staggered, trying to stand on his feet. His breathing was slightly more labored than Lea's and he tried to run up to Lea when his legs folded underneath him and he fell to the ground.

"Get up!" Lea yelled, his chakrams catching fire as he readied them for another attack. Saïx moved slightly but remained on the ground, pained noises escaping him every once in a while. "GET UP!" Lea demanded. The time it took for Saïx to react gave Lea time to cool down ever so slightly and for a moment he looked horrified. He dropped his chakrams that vanished right before they hit ground as their master hurried over to Saïx and cradled him up in his arms as he made a quick estimate of Saïx's wounds.

He had taken it too far, he realized a little too late.

Lea didn't know what to do and for the first time in a long time he looked and felt helpless.

"Wipe that look off your face," Saïx said with a pained expression, each movement reminding him of exactly how badly beaten he was, "Regret doesn't suit you." Lea managed a halfhearted grin but his emerald-green eyes were all watery. Saïx raised his hand and gave Lea's face a weak push.

"Cheap shot," Lea tried to say accusingly but it only came out as pitiful and Saïx sighed away another wince as Lea looked away. This was damage beyond any Curaga-spell and Lea was at loss. All he could do was to be here and hope that Saïx's will to live was greater and stronger than the wounds that threatened to take him away.

"You'll never guess who I ran into today." He said and Saïx gave him a glare of disbelief as another breath was caught in his throat and Lea smiled weakly, "An old friend of mine. He's a real pain in the neck but I think you'd like him. Took me this long to realize how much I missed him."

Saïx suddenly began to shine and break into small orbs of light and he seemed taken aback by the light surrounding him as he looked up at Lea. Lea tried not to think of what this meant but Cloud's words earlier about the Lifestream did come to mind and he tried to find comfort in the blond man's belief that there would be a chance of redemption, even for people like himself and Saïx.

"Bet you haven't heard the rumor circulating downtown," Lea said around a sob as his grip around Saïx tightened. Saïx cracked a smile at the familiarity of that line he had heard so many times before and it was kind of funny that it would take him this long to actually understand how much he missed it. "Is it good?" He asked and Lea nodded.

"Ice-cream for your gossip." He said and they both chuckled slightly and Lea had to look away for a brief moment to be able to continue.

"We'll get another chance to make things right." Lea swallowed a strange, forming lump in his throat and continued, "I'm not done with you yet so you better wait for me. And I'm gonna hold you onto that ice-cream…Isa."

Saïx smiled tiredly, "I'm counting on it, Lea."

Light absorbed him and suddenly there were only orbs left. They lifted and disappeared into the dark sky, looking so very out of place in the grim World That Never Was. Lea sat still, holding his arms like Isa was still there and the ache he felt in his chest was something he hadn't felt since that time he watched Roxas disappear.

As the rain continued to fall he tried to convince himself that it was raindrops and not tears that fell down his bruised face.

**ooo**

Cloud didn't say anything. Words were useless now. He knew from own experience that words might only make it worse. The last thing he did before running over to Lea was to give his friends an apologetic look. They couldn't understand. He had come to terms with that now. He could only hope that he would survive to tell the tale with all the details they needed to one day maybe understand. Right now, Cloud had no clue as to where the hell they were only that they still were in The World that Never Was.

After a few moments, Lea got up onto his feet and took a deep breath. Cloud followed him with his eyes before he got up as well. "You okay?"

"I'll get there." Lea said as he looked up at the sky, "He'll be reborn, right? Circle of life and all, right?" He let out a shaky sigh as he kept his eyes closed while turned to the sky. Cloud put his hand reassuringly on his shoulder as he passed him by, "Yeah."

If there had been a doubt in Lea's mind about not being a Nobody, they were all washed away by the uproar of feelings he had gone through this day and seeing Saïx's shell crumble before him and reveal his true colors had brought back so many memories he had vaguely been aware of but now he was reminded of his origins, his home, his family and it was overwhelming. Having a focus did help and he knew that there was a lot more ahead of them. He wasn't going to cave in now. Not when they had managed to get this far. They had to get to the castle before the heroes did and as he gave his surroundings a proper look, he realized that they were close.

The two walked out of the alleyway and down the main street until the pavement turned into white crystal, leading all the way to what now were ruins of a once proud and grand castle. Lea wasn't sure how long it had been since he had walked this exact road and he couldn't say that he was thrilled to be here again. The memories of this place were not pleasant but he tried to channel all those feelings into readying himself for whatever lay ahead. He was still badly messed up after the fight and as he started to feel the pain of all the bruises he also felt a sudden relief. He turned around just in time to see Cloud finish a Cura-spell and Lea managed a small smile before turning around to watch ahead.

**ooo**


	11. Chapter 11 Escape

**Warning! _Major _spoilers for BBS.**

**.**

**ooo  
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**Chapter 11: Escape**

"I could run away, y'know."

A black-haired man paced down the great white room with grand windows. He stared at his captor who had his back to him, fiddling with some kind of machine. The captor was less than attentive to what his hostage was doing and when he spoke, the captor gave a slight shrug.

"You wouldn't." He said confidently.

Zack snorted. His captor was right. He wouldn't run away even though he could. There was too much going on to just leave everything hanging. He wasn't sure how long it had been since he was captured. Judging by the appearance of his body it couldn't have been that long. Good thing that he came out of there before turning into an old man, but still he was certain that he had at least been locked up for a couple of years. He knew that he had lost a few memories but they were slowly coming back to him. While he was asleep he had hung onto his memories and himself with every bit of strength that he had, meaning that he knew full well how he had ended up in the dungeons and all the events that led up to being locked away. Well, kind of.

The most important part of his memories was what he was worrying about now. This man was trying to lure Cloud here and that was exactly why he wasn't running away. If Cloud was coming then it meant that he first and foremost had survived and escaped the evil clutches of that insane old man that had persecuted them. Secondly it meant that said old man was still free like a bird if Cloud was still being bothered by people obsessed by darkness and light.

"Your partner in crime had at least the decency to introduce himself." Zack said, stopping his pacing to look at the man stand up straight and pick up the small piece of machinery he was working on to put on a special position in the room. He walked pass Zack with an eerily neutral expression on his face, having no intention of replying.

Zack suddenly grabbed him by the arm and made him turn around but he only managed to get a quick glimpse of the silver-haired man as he pulled his arm away from Zack's grip.

"Your eyes changed color just now." Zack said, half fascinated and half shocked. At the same time his mind started racing, trying to pinpoint the face he recognized from somewhere. The man glared at him, showing him that his eyes were still a golden amber and no other color before turning his attention back to the machine.

Zack was hoping that the memories he was missing didn't have to do with this man or he would never figure this out.

"So," Zack began, feeling slightly suffocated and trapped by the heavy atmosphere here, "What's your master plan? World domination?"

The man tried to hold back a snort. A long silence followed and Zack figured that he wouldn't get much out of him when he suddenly heard a mocking laugh. He turned around; surprised to see the man's shoulders tremble. Surely it couldn't be because of laughter, could it?

"Aren't you a fine specimen?" He said with a dark, imposing voice, "You would make a good Nobody." He turned around with a wicked smile dressing his tanned face and Zack felt a sudden sense of fear build in the pit of his stomach as that feeling of having seen this man before washed over him again. He felt confused by the use of the word Nobody too. What did the man mean? That he was better off dead? But then he remembered the blue-haired man Saïx that had brought him here. He was a Nobody; a shell left behind when he lost his heart, creating a Heartless and thus becoming a Nobody. Zack wasn't sure he had got the entire process right but he did know that it couldn't be good. If the fate of his world had been any indication of what was going on then Zack figured that the worlds couldn't be in much better shape now.

"You look familiar." Zack stated, working up courage to face this supposed Nobody. He hadn't seen much of Saïx's abilites aside from his ability to handle a computer and open corridors of darkness but the man had told him about the leader of "Organization XIII" and how said leader would crush Zack like a bug if he tried anything funny; like running away. Come to think of it Zack hadn't seen the rest of the Organization and he had kind of figured that they would be thirteen members, judging by the name and all.

He crossed his arms as he fell into silence, observing the man closely, waiting for anything that would make him remember who this man was or who he reminded him of. He didn't really like where his thoughts were going though. A man, leader of a group with what he could only assume were bad intentions and he was after Cloud. It would seem like few clues to some but Zack had been on the run for a year due to the actions and aspirations of two persons; Master Xehanort and professor Hojo. Professor Hojo was dead, much thanks to the Silver General but as for Master Xehanort, he could not say. Zack looked around the room again trying to find anything else that would give him more clues as to who this man was.

There were insignias on the walls that he had seen on the monsters Saïx had summoned. Where had he – he suddenly stopped and he tried not to let his distress show. He looked at the man and then at the walls again and he gulped. The insignia he knew was the same on the walls only upside-down. Chosen Keyblade-wielders, apprentices of the renowned Master Eraqus at the World of Departure – that's where the insignia came from and he had last seen it on three Keyblade-wielders passing through Olympus Coliseum when he tried to get trained by Phil. And those eyes…

"So you made use of Hojo's research at last, Xehanort." Zack felt himself tense as he realized that the man before him was no other than Master Xehanort, the man that had helped Hojo run his home into hell itself, the man that had persecuted both Zack and Cloud once he learned that Hojo's latest test-subjects had escaped the havocs of their world. The last time Zack had seen Xehanort, he had been an old man, his back bent from all the time spent reading books and the evil in his eyes were like no evil he had ever seen. He felt sick as Xehanort turned around. The body did not belong to Xehanort which meant that someone had gone through something similar to what Cloud had been put through. Xehanort seemed amused and he shrugged dramatically.

"I do not go by that name anymore. I am Xemnas – Xehanort's Nobody."

Truth to be told, Zack was not surprised. Nobodies didn't age, they had access to the power of darkness and for Xehanort it must have meant forever eliminating the existence of whoever owned that body before him. Where had he seen this face before? Xemnas never faced him long enough for Zack to figure it out and that made Zack believe that maybe Xemnas recognized him too.

He held back a gasp.

He thought back on his time in Olympus Coliseum and the people he had met there right before things started to go so very wrong in his own world. He knew why this man looked so familiar to him. Zack could hardly believe that it had take him this long to figure it out. The insignia on the walls was no coincidence.

"What is it you want with Cloud?" Zack asked, petrified for the first time since he came out of those dungeons. Not for his own sake but for Cloud's.

"Cloud? – Oh, you mean the puppet you call friend." Xemnas walked over to the windows again to see if those he was expecting were anywhere close. "I guess I could tell you – there is nothing you will be able to do about it anyway." There was such certainty to his words that it made something flip inside Zack's stomach. Xemnas sneered, his back turned to Zack as he took his dear time to explain what it was he needed from Cloud.

"This body is failing me." He admitted at last, "And right now there is no better candidate than Hojo's test-subject. What is better still is that with Cloud's heart in my power I will be able to control you and Sephiroth as well."

"He would never surrender to you." Zack said. Xemnas' blatant way of saying it bothered Zack beyond comprehension. How could someone care so little for human life? There really was no way that the person in that body would have survived all the changes Xehanort had made. That person's heart was probably long lost and all that was left was this shell that Xehanort wanted to abandon to continue his reign of evil.

"You sound certain." Xemnas said and turned to give Zack an implicating look, "Saïx might have forgotten to mention a small detail of importance when he spoke to you. Cloud is working for us now. He has helped us with many, _many_ things. He destroyed two worlds all by himself, he brought me items to help me unlock the Hearts of the Worlds and he has even been collecting hearts for us. He did all of this for a little something of course – the memory of you."

Zack's reaction was predictable. He wouldn't believe at first, he would refuse to believe it but then, as he thought about it, he would come to realize that it was possible.

Cloud was prone to darkness and if he felt desperate enough he was capable of working for people like Xemnas to reach his goal. As much sense as it made it wasn't any less sickening coming to terms with the fact that Cloud had destroyed two worlds just to get to him. He felt weak all of a sudden as memories of how it had looked like when his own world was destroyed came back to him. There had been fire everywhere, the agonizing screams of people in the background had rung in his head for days on end, the Heartless had been everywhere and they stole the hearts of thousands and thousands – behind all this hell's power was Sephiroth. The man he once had considered his friend. How was it possible that Cloud found himself capable of causing other worlds the same pain they had been through at watching everything they held dear perish at the hands of the Heartless?

"Your light is the only thing that prevents him from giving into darkness. Cloud is like the Realm of In Between, he can reach both darkness and light. Right now you are strong enough to keep him from being controlled by Sephiroth and Sephiroth is strong enough to keep you from controlling him and in the meantime Cloud is using both of you to take the best of the two realms." Xemnas laughed maliciously as he turned to face Zack again, his golden eyes flashing dangerously as he witnessed fear in Zack's sky-blue eyes, "I want that power. I would know how to make use of that power and it is within my grasp now – " Xemnas suddenly flinched and his golden eyes shifted blue. He fell down to his knees as there was a sudden screech that echoed through the room and Zack watched bewildered. He was still in there. He was still fighting. Zack ran up to him but stopped at a distance and he fell down at his knees as well as he tried to reach out to the person trying to regain control over his body.

"Terra!" He yelled, "Terra, c'mon, you can do this!" The man he had come to know as Xemnas looked up and for a split second their eyes met. Ocean-blue met sky-blue.

There was a battle of wills taking place in the heart of this man and all Zack could do was to cheer his friend on from the sidelines, hoping that after all this time Terra would have the will and the strength to battle one of the most evil forces to ever set foot in the worlds and win.

**ooo**

Terra screamed out years of frustration as he pulled on the golden chains surrounding him. It had been far too long since he had put up a fight and he was amazed by the power surge within him as he regained the will to fight for his heart and body. A while ago he had thought that seeing that familiar armor and Keyblade would give him the power he needed to fight back, but Xehanort had him in the palm of his hand. When Xehanort became a Nobody, Terra's heart withstood a test he wouldn't wish on his worst enemy. A piece of him had gone to the Heartless and once it was gone Terra thought that he would never be able to piece his heart together, but when the Heartless was defeated his heart was mended. The worst part had been when his body became that of a Nobody. His heart was lost and he fell into a deep slumber but something had awaken him and he realized that the young Keyblade-wielder who had been destined to right all that had gone wrong was on the move to release him and his friends.

He had felt hope for the first time in what only could be years and years of waiting, but he was growing impatient. Terra was forced to witness and take part of Xehanort's plans that took form when he realized that Terra was now awake and presented a grand threat considering what what Terra was bearing with him. Xehanort had begun the hunt for a new host and Terra had learned of all the horrible experiments people had been put through at the hands of Xehanort's friend, professor Hojo. It had been nothing short of horrendous but Terra was in survival mode now. He had to come up with a way to regain control over his body before it was too late and as Xehanort set up his plans Terra came up with one of his own. There was a way to use Xehanort's achievements to his advantage.

Xehanort's plans were simple. Unlock the Hearts of the Worlds to set ground for future plans with the help of his self to be and to keep the Keyblade-wielders occupied. He also needed to see if the manipulation of the Keyblade had been successful and as it turned out, it had. If Xehanort now managed to take over Cloud then he would not only be able to control Zack and Sephiroth, he would be able to wield the Keyblade and also control the powers of darkness and light.

Terra was not going to let that happen. He had the chance to redeem himself now and losing was not an option. His plan was fairly simple as well, in theory at least. The Keyblade that Xehanort had manipulated belonged to Aqua and if Terra's memory served him right she was trapped in the Realm of Darkness. Now, Cloud was tied to Zack because Zack had given him his light in order to save him from going into a completely comatose state after Hojo failed to remove all of Cloud's darkness into Sephiroth. Cloud was also tied to Sephiroth due to the darkness that still lingered within his heart which was tied to the darkness in Sephiroth. Terra disliked thinking this but Cloud did make a good avatar and his plan was to use Cloud's connection to Aqua through the ties they both had through Zack and in that way Terra would be able to bring her back from the Realm of Darkness.

He couldn't wait for the Keyblade-wielders anymore. It was now or never. He finally felt like he had the power and strength that he needed to vanquish Xehanort once and for all. To hear his name after all this time being called out by a friend he had long forgotten had boosted his strength and he knew that Xehanort was getting desperate now that he knew that Terra was no longer alone.

**ooo**

The corridors of the castle seemed endless. When one ended another began and regardless of the turns they made, the corridors almost always looked the same. Cloud was starting to hope that time would get stuck here. He was feeling apprehensive and the knot in his stomach made him feel weak. He thought of all the events that had led him here, of all the things he had done and the things he had caused. He was about to find his friend - his best friend and it hadn't dawned on him until now that his friend might not be entirely okay with the fact that Cloud had played the role of the destructor of two worlds with nothing but the hope that it would lead him on the right path. Cloud was outright scared of what Zack might have to say about his actions and in his mind the worst type of scenarios were playing out. What if Zack refused to have anything to do with him if he ever learned about what he had done? What if Zack would regret all the things he had been put through just to save Cloud only to find out that he had done just about as much harm as the evil they had been running away from?

He shook his head slightly, trying to stop his trail of thoughts going any further and he looked up at Lea's back and saw him reach out for the wall every once in a while just to let his gloved hand touch it. Cloud couldn't help but to wonder what it was that was passing through Lea's mind. This castle must hold many memories for him, if they were good or bad memories Cloud wouldn't know. Maybe it were memories of Saïx or maybe even Roxas. He wondered how surreal this must feel for Lea - maybe he felt like Cloud would feel if he were to get the chance to walk down the corridors of the Shinra Company in a world that no longer existed.

They reached the end of the corridor and saw large white doors stand apart, revealing the room that had been the lounge room for the members of Organization XIII. Lea sneaked up to the side of the door, trying to pinpoint Xemnas and as he did Cloud got full-view into the room and saw a man with pitch-dark hair flop down onto a couch, crossing his arms. Something - an inkling - made him look up and sky-blue eyes met ice-blue eyes and a breath was caught in Cloud's throat as he felt his heart skip at least three beats. He stood frozen in his tracks as a thousand memories came back to him. He had seen that face so many times before. That was the only face that has smiled at him, shown him any kind of emotion after what seemed like a lifetime in that laboratory. The memories of their escape became so lucid, so painfully real.

He remembered Zack being in the laboratory with him, stopping Hojo from taking all of his darkness. Cloud had been in a completely comatose-state when Zack managed to get him out of the tank. His heart was deteriorating and his chances of surviving were slim but Zack wasn't giving up on him. Not knowing if it would work or what it would do to him Zack gave Cloud his light on the mere hope that it would stop Cloud's heart from deteriorating.

Once they got away they had been running from Shinra and professor Hojo, then the Heartless that had infected their world and when they thought they would be okay they were hit by the perfect storm. Master Xehanort took the place of professor Hojo.

They had searched high and low for a good hiding-place while they were on the run from Master Xehanort but regardless of where they went the old man always found them. He was obsessed with Hojo's lab rats and he wasn't going to let them go. He needed to study them to better understand the workings of the heart.

They had ended up in a strange world with lots of forest and a castle in the horizon. Cloud had been slowly regaining consciousness at that time, but he had been far too weak to fight the monsters Master Xehanort sent after them. Zack couldn't fend them off much longer as his ability to use magic was wearing thin and the wounds on his body were starting to take its toll.  
During a fight Zack had been unable to protect Cloud and he had been badly injured. Zack had carried him on his back as he ran as fast as his legs could carry him through the thick forest. It had been raining, Cloud recalled. Zack had managed to stop Cloud's bleeding using the last of his magic abilities to use a Cure although he was much more badly beaten than Cloud was. Zack decided that it was time for them to split up, he could no longer protect Cloud from Master Xehanort and right now Cloud needed to be in a place where Master Xehanort wouldn't be able to find him. He needed to be in a world of Light.

The monsters had been onto them and everything after that happened so fast. They managed to somehow open a doorway of Light, Cloud protested, begging Zack to come with him but as the light absorbed Cloud, Zack had pulled away with a smile and Cloud had watched horrified as the portal closed in front of him and it took him away.

_Your darkness is my darkness. My light is your light. _

Their eyes had met for a split second and Cloud would probably have stood there longer had it not been for the fact that Zack suddenly looked away in a manner that made Cloud's entire chest clench with hurt and anxiety. He knew. He knew and he was disappointed. Or maybe he felt something worse.

There was a sound of footsteps suddenly and Lea reached out for Cloud and pulled him in and made him stand by the door right by him. Xemnas had been standing by the windows and he paced down the length of the room, his golden eyes glowing brightly as he stopped in front of the doorway.

"Lea, you're back."

Lea cursed under his breath, figuring that it was better to show himself instead of hiding there like an idiot when he had been found out. He walked up to face Xemnas. The silver-haired man smirked and waved his hand to make Cloud come forward as well. Cloud walked up to Lea slowly, his head hung and he tried not to let his gaze wander off to where Zack was sitting. He was acting like a dog in shame he realized but there was nothing he could do about it now.

"Saïx was convinced that you had betrayed us again. I'm glad to see that he was wrong. Now with the puppet here we are not far from finally being whole beings again." If Xemnas was going for a reassuring smile then he was way off as his intended smile turned into an evil smirk.

"You should have trusted him." Lea said, his tone indifferent as if he could have been inspecting his nails as he spoke to the man before him. "He knew me better than you after all." Lea was clearly looking for a reaction. Did Xemnas care that Saïx no longer was here? Would he show any sign of remorse for leading Saïx down a path of destruction? Probably not. Nobody or not, Xemnas was a cold-blooded creature with no sense of wrong or right. It was about what he wanted to achieve, nothing else. There was only a small, barely noticeable smirk on Xemnas face, though Lea managed to catch a hint of worry in his eyes. That was surely because Castle Oblivion stood now without protection which meant that he had to speed things up before the Keyblade-wielders realized what was going on.

"Tell me why you really need him." Lea said with a nodding motion towards Cloud that stood beside him. Xemnas burrowed his brow in anger at Lea's shameless question and statement. His lack of trust was annoying and that showed clearly what an ungrateful man Lea truly was. Xemnas' dislike was clear as day but Lea could not care less. He wanted to know what exactly Xemnas' plan was – Lea wasn't a Nobody anymore which probably meant that the same was true for Xemnas which in turn meant that they had no need for the heart Xemnas claimed to look for.

"Let me make it easy for you." Lea said calmly as he suddenly reached his hand out, grabbing Cloud by his hair and pulled him close, making him stand with his back against Lea. With his other hand, Lea lit up a flame and held it close to Cloud's face. "Tell me or I'll suffocate your dear puppet with flames."

Xemnas looked horrified, Zack flew out of his seat looking like he could kill Lea with glares alone and Cloud gulped as he actually felt the heat from the flame and he couldn't help but to wonder if Lea was being serious or if he really should put up a fight now.

"You wouldn't." Xemnas hissed. He didn't dare to use his own powers as it was now. Lea was dangerously close and Xemnas wasn't sure if Lea was being serious, either way he wasn't willing to risk it. He needed Cloud to go through with his plan. Time was of the essence.

"I wouldn't? Are you sure? You might wanna ask Saïx about it. He would know what to tell you." Lea said bitterly and his flame rose in height making Cloud turn away from it as much as Lea was allowing him to. "I killed him so you can be damn sure that I would kill your puppet in the blink of an eye." He flashed him one of his sinister grins, his emerald-green eyes glowing with madness, "I've been at the brink of insanity for quite some time now, boss. You don't want to test my limits now."

"I want to reign over Kingdom Hearts." Xemnas said shortly, "Reign over all of the worlds. You'll be my second in command, Lea." The proposal had seemed luring enough for many members and Lea was no different he figured but he was wrong. Xemnas didn't flinch when a fireball passed right by him, he simply frowned. Cloud closed his eyes tightly as Lea formed yet another flame at the palm of his hand and held it close to Cloud.

There was suddenly a loud screech heard in the room and Xemnas held his hands tightly around his head as Lea fired away a blast of fire. As soon as the flames left his range Cloud was taken away from Lea's side as a fist connected sharply against Lea's face, making him fly against a wall. As he opened up his eyes again he found himself staring Zack straight in the eye, his fist up high. He blocked it with a flaming fist of his own and as he was to send off yet another blast of fire, Zack dodged it, gripping Lea's other arm and twisting it up his back and at that moment Cloud came running in between, pushing Zack away as a lighting struck right where he had stood just a split second ago. He held Zack back, turning to Lea with a pleading look in his eyes, hoping that the redhead would come to his senses.

"Axel!"

The look of shock was undeniable. It had been the second time anyone called him by that name and the mist around his arms dissolved into nothing as he gulped, turning around slowly only to be met by the face of that young Keyblade-wielder he had seen in Radiant Garden. As he blinked he saw the face of another young man take form and his breath hitched in his throat as he recognized him. "Roxas?" The blond young man smiled mischievously at him before disappearing back to his whole self and Lea stared dumbfounded at the group of heroes standing by the doorway.

Cloud gulped and didn't let Zack step forward when he saw King Mickey walk up to them with the Keyblade in his hand. Right now he was the only one with the intention of keeping Zack and Cloud apart and he was sure that he had convinced the rest of the group that it was best for the balance of the worlds to have them as far away from each other as possible. Tifa was staring at him in both awe and disbelief as she for the first time realized that Cloud was wearing the Organization's uniform.

King Mickey frowned at the scene before him, recognizing both Xemnas and Axel. "Let Cloud come back to us and we will let you get away unharmed." King Mickey said to Lea as Xemnas clutched his head, the screech distant in the room. Lea laughed with twisted amusement as he looked down at the King while Goofy and Donald stepped forward, ready to fight with King Mickey. "_Let_ him go back with you?" He asked mockingly.

"Cloud, please. Don't let them control you! You don't have to give into darkness, Cloud. We can help you." Tifa didn't know what to say to him anymore. She couldn't even imagine what was going through Cloud's mind when he made the decision to assist this group who had done nothing but bad things.

"Yes, Cloud. Don't let us control you." Lea repeated with a high-pitched voice and laughed. It was always so easy to assume that the bad guys were behind it all, pulling the strings and making life a hell to live.

"Axel, why are you doing this?" Sora demanded, confused by the redhead's actions. Axel had been the one to betray the Organization in order to help them fight Xemnas and destroy his plans of creating Kingdom Hearts. Why would he go back to them now? King Mickey didn't give Lea time to answer. He was dead-set on getting to Cloud's Keyblade and to do that they needed to get him under their control.

"That is of no importance now. We will return with Cloud with or without your consent. We will not allow the lot of you to do the worlds anymore harm than you already have. It ends here." Sora, Kairi and Riku summoned their Keyblades and as they did Xemnas composed himself, floating over to Lea's side. It was obvious to him that Lea had no intention of letting the heroes walk away with the puppets and those intentions worked very well for Xemnas and incidentally for Terra as well.

"Help me get them to Castle Oblivion. You'll get to see Roxas again. I give you my word."

Lea couldn't say if he actually believed Xemnas or if the words he uttered sounded so off-character to him that he believed instead that it was someone else making him that promise. Either way, it was enough for him. He knew that Cloud had things to sort out with his friend and he had an idea of what it was King Mickey wanted to do once he got his hands onto Cloud's Keyblade. This was what worked out for both him and for Cloud.

Was this a suicide mission? According to a small voice in his head it was but for what it was worth it was a small sacrifice to make. In the worst case scenario he did end up getting killed but he would at least go knowing that he did what he could to help Cloud find something he had been searching for himself. Isa would be waiting for him on the other side and he in turn would wait for Roxas. There were more upsides than downsides to the worst case scenario and as he teamed up with Xemnas he felt a sense of invincibility. As he threw his weapons towards his enemies he pulled up a corridor of darkness and Xemnas sent a gush of wind towards Cloud and Zack, making them both disappear into the portal as Lea waved it off.

**ooo**

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**A/N: I never thought that last chapter would have such an impact on people. I'm glad that it did though. I hope it didn't scare you away.**

**Thank you for reading! ^^**


	12. Chapter 12 Homecoming

**Chapter 12: Homecoming**

As they got to the other side of the portal they were met by the sight of large meadows, split by small roads that led further into this world of beautiful greenery. What lay beyond the horizon could not be seen due to the fog that stretched across it and as they set foot in this world Cloud thought that the silence would stretch on forever.

"Cloud." Zack's voice was hoarse and as Cloud turned around to face him with what little dignity he felt he had left, Zack grabbed him by his arm and pulled him into a tight embrace. The silence did stretch on but not in a bad way. Cloud embraced him back and all those feelings he had felt when he first saw Zack in the World that Never Was came rushing back and the world underneath his feet shook with the realization that he was embracing the past he had been searching for so long. Zack made sense of who he was, he understood their past and knowing that lifted a heavy weight off his shoulders and breathing became such an easy thing to do suddenly.

Zack chuckled heartily as he let go of the embrace reluctantly and he smiled widely, "You're okay." He said and sighed loudly as if a similar weight had been lifted off his shoulders as well. Cloud stared at his face in awe, half-expecting that he would vanish before his eyes as he woke up in a world where he remembered nothing, but the memories stuck with him. They didn't fuzz out the more he thought about them and Zack didn't become any less real.

"Are you?" Cloud asked hesitantly. Zack gave a slight nod and then everything was silent once more. Everything that could be said now seemed so whimsical compared to everything they had been through. Just being alive and being together was a big deal for both of them, taking a moment to process all of this was the least they could grant themselves after all this time. They were both aware of what they were ready to do for each other and the force behind that was intimidating and yet empowering. They had let go of each other once and they both knew that they would never let that happen again.

Cloud frowned suddenly and he looked away, "I've done some bad things, Zack." He probably knew about them already but he didn't want to wait with telling him about the things he had done to get here. Cloud didn't want to have Zack's praise only to have it taken away. Zack deserved to know the truth. As he steeled himself and forced himself to look up at Zack he was surprised to see a dark expression of understanding on his face.

To Zack, Cloud was the most important and most beloved person he had in his life. He had many times thought of the crazy things he would be fully capable of doing to keep Cloud from harms way but he had never once stopped to think about all the crazy things Cloud would be capable of doing just to get to him. He was still shocked by the things he had heard. He thought that he would be afraid as well, knowing that Cloud could be so cold and unscrupulous to actually put his ambitions above the lives of entire worlds. But when he looked into those ice-blue eyes it sort of didn't matter. All evil around them melted away and gave Zack a sense of hope even when everything looked dark and meaningless.

"I know, Cloud." He said, he felt guilty for even thinking that the events leading Cloud here were justifiable but there were so many emotions that he had pent up in himself for such a long time that he couldn't deny that he did feel like they were at last coming close to the things they deserved. No one had battered an eye when Gaia fell into ruins, there had been no Keyblade-wielders to stop the disgusting experiments that were being done to the citizens of Gaia. They had been treated worse than bugs, they had been used for the benefit of a few, they had been left to fend for themselves and no one had cared. Something that was even more angering was the fact that they were _still _fending for themselves. As it was now they were still being used for the benefit of others and they could do nothing but to hope that they were putting their trust in the right people. Cloud had come this far, he had done the things he had felt had been right and for what it was worth, Cloud was the only person Zack would put his trust in.

"Xemnas told me. I didn't believe at first but..." He motioned towards the coat Cloud was wearing. Cloud looked down at himself and realized that he must look like a full worthy member of the Organization and as he was going to explain, the words got caught in his throat while he tried to find the best way to do it.

"Lea put it on me. I – I don't know...I fainted, I think and I was in Radiant Garden. Lea took me away from there because King Mickey wanted to take the Keyblade away from me. He didn't want me to find you and the rest of them are backing him up and - " Cloud sighed and looked down at the dirt by his feet and shuffled it slightly, "Lea told me not to use the corridors of darkness so much. It would taint my heart if I did. I guess that's why he put this on me." The obvious shame Cloud was feeling at having to face and stand up for the things he had done made it sting in Zack's chest. Cloud would never have gone through any of this had it not been for him and if anyone should take responsibility it was him.

"Hey, look at me." Cloud looked up reluctantly and was met by Zack's reassuring smile, "I'm not holding anything against you. I'm glad you found me." He took Cloud's right hand in his and held it tightly, "We're bound by light, darkness and blood. No one will ever come between us again." Zack had no sense of who the bad guys were or who the good guys were. His enemy was whoever tried to harm Cloud and himself. He had been held captive in a dungeon for the Gods know how long, he had no idea of how the situation was between the worlds nowadays or for what world he was ready to fight for.

He was suddenly reminded of the incident with Xemnas and his eyes widened as he realized that Cloud did most likely not know about Terra. Zack remembered telling Cloud about Shinra shipping off soldiers to other worlds in order to learn new things and develop new weapons no one had thought of back home. The soldiers were also sent out to spy. For the security of the planet, according to the commanders in the army. Zack had been shipped off to Olympus Coliseum right before all hell broke lose.

He wasn't sure how much Cloud knew about what was going on. It seemed to him that Xemnas had kept his plans to himself in hope that nothing would be revealed until it was too late. There was no easy way to explain Terra's situation, Zack could barely understand it himself but Cloud needed to know something at least.

"Back when I was training at Olympus Coliseum I met the Keyblade-wielders. Not the kids, the other Keyblade-wielders, you never met them. Hades took control of me but one of the Keyblade-wielders, a man named Terra, he helped me out of it." He sighed and continued, "Master Xehanort took control of his body using his darkness against him but Terra is still in there. He's fighting to come back and kill Xehanort once and for all."

Cloud seemed confused as he tried to understand what it was Zack was saying. "It's really complicated. I don't get it myself yet. All I know is that Xemnas – that is Master Xehanort – feels that Terra has awakened and that he is losing control over the body. His plan is to find a new host, someone who has the ability to use the power of both darkness and light." Zack looked for a sign that Cloud was getting any of this. The silence stretched and Cloud looked away when everything started to make sense in a strange way. The pieces of the puzzles were falling into place and the one connecting all the pieces seemed to be Cloud. "He wants to use you as a host, Cloud."

He nodded slowly and tried to look unfazed by the revelation. Sure, that made sense. If he controlled Cloud then he'd be able to summon Sephiroth and control Zack, he would be able to wield the Keyblade and since Cloud's heart was weak he wouldn't have to struggle much to take full control. Cloud was the perfect puppet.

"Cloud," Zack looked him in the eyes again, making sure that his friend wasn't looking away, "You have access to the powers of both realms. It's a good thing and yes, with it comes great responsibilities too but I'm here. I'll stand by you. You can do great things. We both hold the power to end this, to stop Xehanort and make him pay for everything." He had caught a sign of resignation in Cloud and truth to be told he couldn't blame him. This nightmare seemed like it would never end but it could. And as Cloud smiled at him Zack knew that they would win this.

Zack threw his arm around Cloud's shoulder and ruffled his hair with his other hand as they both continued down the path through the meadows.

**ooo**

The two Organization-members were clearly outnumbered and they could only hope that Lady Luck was smiling at them on a rainy day such as this one as they stared at the four Keyblade-wielders and their friends. Xemnas gave the large doorway a quick glance from the corner of his eye and Lea was quickly on-board the plan. Xemnas ran towards the windows as he collected a large energy-sphere between his hands. He moved quickly and as he stood in front of the doorway, he threw the energy-sphere at the heroes, unleashing a powerful blast of air. The four Keyblade-wielders stood their ground, ready for the attack but the blast of air was too powerful for the others to fight back and as much as they struggled they were blown out of the room and the second they were, Lea sealed the doorway with a transparent wall. This number of opponents was far more favorable for the two Organization-members although it was going to be tough.

Riku and Sora ran up to Xemnas, both their Keyblades held up high above their heads. Their Keyblades clashed as Xemnas teleported away from their range just milliseconds before the blades hit him. Kairi cast ice-spells and manipulated the large ice-rocks towards Lea. They were counting on Lea being weak after his battle with Saïx but they hadn't counted on Cloud healing him and though Lea was still bruised he felt like he could take on the world. He laughed madly as Kairi's magic missed and he called his chakrams forward, making them catch fire as soon as they had materialized in his hands.

King Mickey summoned his Keyblade and sprinted towards Lea, making sure that the redhead saw that he was coming. As he jumped up high Lea threw a chakram at him but King Mickey quickly slid over to his right, managing to get in at least five hits before Lea could turn around and throw his other chakram at him as his other came flying back into his hand just in time for Lea to block a forceful strike from above. Kairi somersaulted over him and landed on her feet further away just as she cast yet another spell of ice in his direction. One of the blocks of ice caught him by the arm and froze it. Lea cursed under his breath but had to quickly retaliate as King Mickey came flying at him and just about cracked his head in two had he not raised his other chakram to shield himself with it.

He made his arm catch fire to melt the ice away and as the last of the ice was gone he sent a wall of fire at King Mickey and caught him in the middle of an attack, sending him flying back at the wall.

"Give it your best shot, princess." Lea said mockingly as Kairi turned to him with nothing but determination in her otherwise gentle eyes. Surprisingly she said nothing back, she just went to attack, dodging the wall of fire Lea sent at her and just when it looked like she was about to attack him, she slid down onto the floor around him and slammed her Keyblade against him repeatedly before Lea had the chance to react. He boosted a fireblast from himself to push the insistent princess away and he stumbled slightly at the pain from the hits he had taken.

Xemnas summoned his Ethereal Blades and swung them at the two other Keyblade-wielders. He moved quickly and made good use of the corridors of darkness he could summon so quickly, frustrating the two young men whenever it seemed like they were about to get him, only to be met by nothing but empty space. As Xemnas lifted his shield again Sora quickly hurried behind him as Riku distracted him with bolts of electricity at the same time as he struck the shield with his Keyblade multiple times. Xemnas didn't have a chance of dodging the excruciating strike Sora got in with his Keyblade.

Lea looked over at them as both Keyblade-wielders attacked Xemnas indiscriminately. He managed to hit King Mickey with his chakram and quickly teleport himself closer to Xemnas and as he landed on the ground he lifted a blast of fire that made the ground underneath them melt and glow with heat as the circle of fire he sent out pushed Riku and Sora forcefully against the wall, giving Xemnas the chance to harm them with his blades.

The muffled screams of the heroes' friends behind the transparent wall could still be heard. Donald was trying to force his way through the wall with different spells of magic while Goofy tried to run it through with his sword. Tifa had tried to kick it into pieces and no gadget Cid had brought with him worked to break the seal. They could only watch in horror as Riku and Sora took hit after hit but then suddenly Riku managed to tackle Xemnas away long enough for Sora to regain his balance and run up to Xemnas as he fell to the floor. Just as he got to him Xemnas teleported away and as he appeared again he summoned a rain of purple energy-spheres and made it rain over them.

Lea saw King Mickey start a spell of Reflectaga and he threw both of his chakrams at him, both hitting him and knocking him to the ground. The chakrams would have hit a second time but Kairi jumped in between and protected the King from more harm. Lea grinned evilly and in a split second he vanished and appeared right beside her. A small gasp was all she managed before Lea sent out a wave of fire right at her.

Her scream made Riku, Sora and King Mickey turn in shock. "Kairi!" Sora ran up to her quickly and managed to catch her before she hit the floor. He quickly mumbled a Cura-spell and reached into his pocket to get something for the burn Lea had caused. The quicker he did it the less the scarring would be. Riku and King Mickey kept Lea and Xemnas occupied while Sora helped Kairi. She gasped as her eyes flew open and she coughed slightly as Sora sat her up, "Kairi, are you okay?"

She nodded and smiled at him as she got up onto her feet, ready to keep fighting the bad guys. Sora smiled back at her and held his Keyblade up high as both of them got into the fight again.

As Sora jumped up again to attack Xemnas, Xemnas teleported again, calling Lea's name. Lea reacted quickly and cast a Firaga-spell at Riku fast enough to not give Riku the chance to react. Xemnas took this opportunity and quickly summoned thorny, black mist which he used to constrict Sora with. Lea landed beside Xemnas, ready for more.

"Sora!"

The cry came from both Riku and Kairi in unison as they saw Xemnas catch Sora in a web of thorny mist, making it impossible for the young Keyblade-wielder to wriggle out of its grip. Once they realized what was going on it was too late to interfere. Xemnas had the upper hand and the misty thorns were squeezing the air out of Sora as he tried to free himself.

Riku stared helplessly at the scene and failed to see the globe of fire that was sent straight at him. Kairi hurried up in front of him and stopped the fire with a shield of water. Riku gritted his teeth, he couldn't do anything now without risking Sora getting seriously injured. Lea glared at him defiantly, daring him to make a move and give him one single excuse to incinerate Riku where he stood.

"Let go of him!" Donald yelled and flailed his arms around from the other side of the wall as Goofy still tried to smash the wall into pieces. The two remaining members of the Organization were clearly superior and there was great uncertainty amongst them as they could do nothing but stand back.

Xemnas noticed that King Mickey tried to come forward, a small light playing at the tip of his gloved fingers and in response Xemnas simply tightened the mist around Sora and the breathless gasp that escaped him was enough for the King to withdraw.

"Let Sora go!" Kairi demanded.

"He is of no use to you, Xemnas! You will never be able to control Sora." Riku felt anxious and close to mortified at seeing Sora's limb body hang up in the air, surrounded by that thorny mist the same way it had been the last time they had fought Xemnas. The difference now was that Riku felt that he couldn't stand up against Xemnas the same way he had done back then. The burns caused from Lea's attacks were draining him and all it would take was one more attack to knock him out.

"He has something that doesn't belong to him." Xemnas said absentmindedly,"It's time for it to return." He gave them a brief look of emptiness – of indifference – before he turned to Lea and gave him a small nod. Riku saw what was coming and he leaped towards his two enemies but he was too late. The flames of hell's fire that rose from the ground almost burned his hands beyond recognition as he shielded himself. From behind the flames they could see a corridor of darkness being opened and Lea and Xemnas disappeared into it with Sora in their possession, the seal on the door breaking as they vanished.

**ooo**

"Screw this."

Cid managed to look surprised when he heard Tifa mumble and walk away. Cid could tell she had the urge to kick something and he maintained his distance as he decided to walk after his friend. Riku had enough assistance as it was.

"Tifa, where the hell are ya' going? Cloud went this way." She turned to face him and she sighed loudly, a stern look on her face, "Cid, we need another plan."

"Huh?"

"We need another plan." She repeated in a low voice, "These cloak-guys have been one – ten! - steps ahead of us all along. They wanted to get to Cloud and knew exactly what to do and say to get to him. I just don't get why!"

Tifa hadn't seen Cloud wield the Keyblade and Cid had yet to tell her the full details on what had happened before Cloud had fallen into that strange coma. It wasn't that Cid wanted to keep it from her; the King had made him promise that he wouldn't tell a soul about what he had seen until the King decided it was time.

It was stupid.

Why not tell everybody what was going on? It wasn't like the information could get into the wrong hands. That's where it had been all along!

The scene that had unfolded before him that day had been frightening to say the least. There had been cold and ill intent in Cloud's eyes and his anger had been more than obvious, but the moment the King had told Cloud about the death of his friend there had been a look of despair in Cloud's face that Cid hadn't seen anywhere else. That scream of agony rang through his head still but it had been the sudden change in Cloud's eyes that had frightened him the most. Suddenly it wasn't Cloud's eyes they were looking into – it was Sephiroth's. That sinister look was difficult to shake off, even now. A wing had spurted out from the opposite side of where Sephiroth's wing was and as Cid expected Cloud to completely turn into his arch-nemesis, the wing dissolved into a thousand feathers which in turn dissolved into thin air before ever touching the floor.

He told Tifa all about it. Cid didn't care anymore about what it was the King wanted. They were being kept in the dark, used as nothing but back-up to fight enemies they knew almost nothing about.

They weren't fighting the same battle anymore and they were certainly not fighting on equal terms. To Cid and Tifa this was about helping their friends but King Mickey seemed to have another agenda in mind and Cid felt apprehensive as to what that could be. King Mickey was governor of Disney Castle, the Kingdom of Light and also wielder of the Keyblade of the Dark Realm. It had crossed Cid's mind that the King could be scared of losing that power now that Cloud had a Keyblade and cared nothing for what King Mickey wanted.

It was difficult to trust someone who withheld so much that you barely knew anything. Cid had never been one to take orders well and he wasn't about to change now. Their goal was to get Cloud and to get to the bottom of this Heartless and world-destruction-issues and that was what they were going to do.

"What about Castle Oblivion?" Tifa asked after a moment of silence.

"What about Castle Oblivion?" Cid echoed.

"That was what they were protecting, wasn't it? If the blue-haired man was protecting Castle Oblivion then Xemnas must have been protecting this world but he must have forgotten about the loop-hole and the redhead sealed the mansion in Twilight Town." She paused, "There must be something there. King Mickey knew that there could be something of importance there because that's where he wanted to go first and I'm sure that's where they are now."

"Yeah, but won't we be needing the gummiship to get there? We can't just take it and leave the kids stranded here." Cid looked over his shoulder quickly to make sure that the others were still in the castle lounge.

"I don't think it'll be accessible that way," Tifa said. She had thought long and hard about the situation at hand and she figured that if they were to have the slightest chance of getting Cloud back they would have to be ahead of the two Organization-members plan-wise. "They will put everything they have into shielding Castle Oblivion to keep us out of it. We have to find another way in." Tifa began to walk down the crispy white hallway, hearing how Cid jogged after her.

"Tifa, we can't just open portals. We need the gummiship and -"

"Look," Tifa began and sighed, "When Cloud left for some errands a few weeks ago I thought it was weird. He said that he was going to get stuff for you. I guess he didn't know that Leon and I went with you to the Dungeon to get supplies the day before. I followed him to the Postern and into the lab. He was looking for something and he made a copy of one of Ansem's charts. At that point I was getting really worried and then he suddenly stepped out of the room – I thought that he had seen me but he kept looking for something and then he found some sort of loophole. Once he jumped through it, it closed down. I hurried back to Merlin's house to do one of those calculations we did when we found him in Olympus Coliseum and saw that he ended up in a world called Port Royal. I did some more research and if I'm right there should be a loophole to Castle Oblivion in here." She dug her hands into her pockets and took out a note and reached it out to Cid with a smile, "I was hoping you could read this and find the loophole?"

It was coordinates and Cid grinned at her and gave her the thumbs up. Tifa sure didn't back down when she had set her mind to something. Cid had an idea as to how much the gloomy, blond man meant to her although he sometimes did have a hard time understanding it. Cloud wasn't expressive and usually kept to himself, he wasn't one to smile much and even when he did it struck Cid as sad. His patience with his friend was short and he could easily get annoyed with him but when Cloud had confronted King Mickey, Cid realized how little he knew about his friend and he figured that Tifa might know more about Cloud, maybe she had seen sides of him that were easier to love. But then again, Cid could be quite the pain himself and yet there were people who claimed that Sherra, one of the scientist to join in on the Restoration Committee, had her eyes set for him. Love could indeed be blind, Cid figured as he calculated the location of the coordinates and navigated down hallways he had never set his foot on before.

He looked at his little grayish, metallic machine as they started to go downwards. He stopped suddenly and looked around. The walls were still white with insignias here and there and Cid gulped slightly. If Tifa was right then the loophole should be here somewhere. Tifa started to run her hands down the walls to see if she got the same effect Cloud had when he started to knock on the walls in the corridors of the lab back in Radiant Garden. Cid put his little machine away and helped her look for it and not too long afterward he heard Tifa let out a sound of surprise as her hand disappeared into the wall. She looked at Cid with a look of pleasant disbelief and pride. Cid walked up to her and took a deep breath.

"Let's do this." He said with a reassuring smile. Tifa gave him a firm nod. They both took a leap of faith as they threw themselves into the invisible loophole, leaving the World That Never Was and the rest of the group in hope of finding the truth they refused to share with them.

**ooo**

Castle Oblivion – the surroundings of the castle were nothing like the meadows that led to it. It looked like its decay had been stopped in time. The light was dim around the castle, making the pointy rocks around it cast eerie shadows. There were towers leaning in different directions, crossing each others paths and giving the castle a more surreal look than the surroundings. The closer to the castle they got the clearer the small whispers became, and Lea remembered that it had always made chills run down his spine when he heard them, even as Axel he had felt that. His memories of this place were still intact and as they walked closer, Lea began to wonder what it was Xemnas wanted to do here.

Sora lay unconscious, carelessly thrown over Xemnas' shoulder as the gray-haired man stopped to look at the large golden doors that led into Castle Oblivion. Lea frowned and stopped a couple of steps behind. Xemnas wasn't acting like his old self, or rather, he wasn't acting like the Xemnas that Lea knew and it was making him think that this was maybe Xemnas' true self, Xehanort – Ansem's apprentice, the man who overthrew his mentor to gain more power.

There had only been one thing Xemnas had ever talked about that could possibly be of interest in this place. The Chamber of Awakening. Lea had been sent here multiple times just to search for that room but he had never succeeded. Had it not been for the fact that Xigbar liked to talk about that other room Xemnas spent so much time in, the Chamber of Slumber, then he would probably have thought that Xemnas was just trying to keep him busy, or out of his way.

"So this is your land now," he heard Xemnas say silently to the door. For a moment Xemnas seemed oblivious to the fact that Lea was there with him and he lowered his head slightly as if in shame. Lea had a hard time picturing Xemnas as a caring person – or as a person at all. Xemnas had always been a Nobody to him and seeing him show something as human as regret and even shame could quite possibly be the scariest thing Lea had seen Xemnas do.

The whispers became slightly louder and the golden doors slid open with a creak. Their steps echoed in the white empty castle and Lea looked around to see if there was anything new worth noticing. There were no Dusks to greet them and Lea had stopped summoning his Nobodies a long time ago. He figured Xemnas would summons his Nobodies to let them carry Sora but he just kept walking forward, seemingly looking after anything that could give away the location of the chamber he wanted to find so badly. Xemnas was also _walking _instead of floating forward and that was truly a sight to behold.

"Who are you?" Lea asked finally, intrigued. Xemnas stopped and seemed to ponder about what to answer before sighing shortly, never once turning to face Lea.

"I know who you are," He said instead, "You did your best to protect him. I'm grateful for that. You did what I couldn't." He walked further into the castle, his steps echoing in the empty hallways and Lea looked after him in awe. What in the world was the man talking about? He walked after him slowly, inspecting the unconscious Sora once in a while to make sure that the Keyblade-wielder wouldn't suddenly wake up and make a fuss. He had some memories of the teen – he was Roxas' whole self. Axel had tried to make Sora a Heartless again to bring Roxas back but the plan hadn't quite worked out the way he wanted it to. He remembered that much.

But what did Xemnas mean? There had only been two people he remembered protecting but he had failed miserably. Besides, Xemnas had cared for neither of them so he had no reason to be grateful.

Xemnas walked down the corridors as if he had been there many times before. He never hesitated when he came to a crossroad and he continued until he reached a dead-end. And he sighed. He sighed in relief almost and he rested a hand onto the wall where there was a small insignia. It looked like the insignia at the Castle That Never Was but it was turned upside-down. He put Sora down in the corner to his right carefully to stand back and face the wall. He knelt down, bowing his head and as he did the castle began to respond. Those small voices Lea had only heard outside the castle had made their way in and their whispering was insistent but he couldn't make anything out.

"Master, I'm home."

For a split second a strong light rose from the ground like a violent wave and time slowed down. The surroundings changed with the light and became something warm, welcoming and powerful in a different way from the white, empty walls. Outside the large crystal windows Lea could see the green meadows stretch as far as the eye could see. And as he turned his gaze back to the room he saw three thrones in front of them. His eyes grew wide as he drew a small gasp.

Upon the throne in the middle sat a dormant figure, his spiky blond hair sticking out like a sore thumb. Lea's mouth went dry and he stumbled forward to make sure that his eyes weren't playing tricks on him.

"Roxas."

**ooo**

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**A/N: I was asked about the insignias and if it's official that the Nobody-insignia is the the same insignia for the Keyblade-wielders only turned upside down. Honestly, I don't know...maybe it is? Try to turn the Nobody-insignia upside down and see if there are any similarities ^^  
**


	13. Chapter 13 Selfish

**Chapter 13: Selfish**

Tifa had expected some kind of time-warped space-tunnel behind that white wall but everything was over in the blink of an eye. Next thing she knew she was standing in another grand lounge but unlike the one in the Castle That Never Was this lounge was decorated and it had colors. For some reason she had envisioned Castle Oblivion to be something like the Castle That Never Was. Cid seemed to be just as awestruck as she was and they just stood there, taking in the sights in for a brief moment.

Tifa walked further into the room to see if there was a way out, but instead she saw an altar with three lined objects floating above it in what seemed like an invisible energy-field. Cid walked up next to her and stared at the objects as well. There was one object they both recognized – the Beast's rose. Last time the Beast had been in Radiant Garden he had talked to Merlin about Belle and the his rose and how he didn't know how he had been able to teleport himself from his world to Radiant Garden. Merlin had written a detailed report on the strange events that had happened in their world and left copies of the books in the library for all to read and try to make sense of what had happened.

"What is that doing here?" Cid asked as they approached it. He looked at the other floating objects and saw a large, shining ruby and to its right some kind of sword. The first world to go under had been Beast's Castle and the recorded Keyhole was here, in Castle Oblivion – was it a coincidence? Probably not. Second world to go under had been Agrabah and Cid could only assume that this ruby had been the Keyhole to that world and as for that sword...it had to be from Port Royal, the world where Cloud had gone to first. Cid didn't like where his suspicions were going but it would make sense, it would explain why the Organization would want to make use of him and give him the Keyblade. Tifa turned away from the altar, her shoulders slumped as she gave a shaky sigh and she leaned against the pillar just to feel some kind of support.

"Tifa..."

She shook her head slowly. This was beyond what she had imagined Cloud capable of, they had always worked against evil, done everything in their power to save people and help those who were defenseless but Cloud had actually gone with the Organization and helped them destroy three worlds and for what? What was it Cloud was after?

"He couldn't possibly know what taking these things would mean. We don't even know for sure that Cloud is behind this." Cid said and gesticulated over at the floating objects. Tifa turned to give him a meaning look. Cloud wasn't stupid, he had to know that a favor for the Organization meant no good, they meant nothing but misery for the worlds and the fact that Cloud had actually defended and escaped with one of those Organization-members meant that he knew what they were up to. Cid knew this too. Cloud was truly siding with the Organization while they, his friends, were chasing after him like idiots, thinking that he might be in need of help.

"He was looking for someone, Tifa." Cid said carefully. The look of disappointment in those hazel brown eyes were even too much for him to handle and he wasn't sure how Cloud would handle seeing that look on her face if they were to confront each other about it. If there was anything Cid knew about the soldier was that he didn't take the feeling of having let someone down all too well. Tifa crossed her arms tightly and focused her gaze onto the beautifully patterned floor.

"For whom?"

Cid sighed. It wasn't much that he knew, all he had were mostly theories he had come up with himself. The King hadn't said much when Cloud had confronted him back then and truth to be told, Cid knew very little about Cloud's past. He had figured that Tifa or Aerith would know more.

"Right before Cloud collapsed King Mickey said something to him. He said that the person Cloud was searching for was dead." Cid was feeling restless. That gave no answers. _That_ person could mean just about anybody. Who was this person? A brain-ghost? Sephiroth, perhaps? "I just...I don't know what to say. That's all I know. King Mickey knew that there was a person Cloud was searching for and he also knew that the person was dead and that it was for the best to keep that person and Cloud separated." Cid shrugged in frustration and fought the urge to search for his pack of cigarettes and light one there on the spot.

"He was looking for someone..." Tifa repeated slowly in a quiet voice as she thought back on the last time she had seen Cloud. Right before Donald cast his Thunder-spell there had been another person aside from Xemnas, Lea and Cloud. Cloud had pulled him away and pushed him back, keeping him shielded as Lea and Xemnas stopped them from getting any closer to Cloud. The man behind him, that must have been the same person Cloud had been looking for. Was it someone from his past? A friend, maybe? Why wasn't she able to remember him then? "Why would King Mickey lie to Cloud about something like that?" She said finally, her voice heavy with unspoken thoughts, "Why would he be so cruel to say something as horrible as that?" Unconsciously she clenched her fists tightly. She was really starting to hate this. All of this secrecy and all of these lies. What good had that brought them? What emotions had Cloud felt at hearing those words that made him crumble the way he had? Just thinking back at how lifeless he had looked back then made her feel sick to her stomach. When she finally stared ahead she had to grab a hold of Cid's arm just to make the room stop spinning from the shock she received at seeing people encapsulated in glass-tanks.

"What in the bloodiest of hells..." Cid took a few steps closer, gaping at the tanks as he recognized the Beast and Belle.

"There is just no way of keeping you out, is there?"

Cid and Tifa quickly turned around to identify the person strolling into the room casually. Mad, emerald-green eyes stared at them with amusement and both Cid and Tifa identified the man as Lea, the man who had killed his best friend and somehow befriended Cloud.

"Where is Cloud?" Tifa asked, observing the man carefully, reading herself to dodge any attack.

"What am I? His mother?" Lea gave a dramatic shrug, "I'm sure he'll come running back home whenever he feels like he has accomplished his duty. In the meantime, why don't you just sit put in your little house and wait for that day to come?"

"What the hell have you lot going on here?" Cid demanded instead, "Haven't ya'll done enough damage as it is?"

Lea sighed and slumped his shoulders as if he was really tired, "Look, I'm just here on a quick errand. What you do is completely up to you, I honestly don't care." He forced a quick smile before vanishing into a dark shadow and reappeared by the floating objects. He took all three of them and made them disappear into a mist of thorns before he started to walk off towards the exits.

"You will pay for all of this." Tifa was shaking with anger and she was hoping that Lea would answer to her remark and he did, just not the way she was hoping he would. He snickered and turned around briefly.

"If by this you mean what's in this room, then no. All you see here is Cloud's doing. All credit goes to him and all of his effort that he put into all of this. I have still a long way to go to become employee-of-the-month." He laughed again as he stepped into a corridor of darkness and disappeared.

**ooo**

Cloud felt a shiver as they took yet another turn inside this crisp-white castle with just about as many endless corridors as the Castle That Never Was. Zack seemed surprised by how easily Cloud navigated these halls but he kept reminding himself that it was probably the Keyblade that he held in his possession that guided him. There were voices echoing in the hallways like ghostly reminders of what this castle once had been but Cloud heard more than that. Every once in a while he saw a flash of memories that weren't his, he felt things that weren't his to feel and there was an immense longing lingering once those episodes faded.

"How was he going to get her back?" Cloud asked after a long time in silence.

"I thought I – "

"She wants to know..." Cloud gave Zack a tired look. Having to deal with his own feelings and the feelings of someone else was draining at best. This had started the second they set foot in this world. It had been subtle at first but the closer they got to the castle the stronger it became and now it seemed like the Keyblade's true wielder was using the castle's entire power to force Cloud into paying attention to her.

"Well, from what he told me he wants to use you as an avatar to open a portal to the Realm of Darkness and the bond you have formed with the Keyblade, her Keyblade, will bring her back." Zack looked at Cloud as if he was waiting for a sign that his answer had gone through to her and somehow calmed her down. The tension lay thick in the air and he could only imagine how Cloud must be feeling now. They walked in silence for another while before Cloud stopped and shook his head.

"She's not buying it." He said, "He would never have gone through the trouble of having the worlds destroyed if all he needed was to use me. How do you know that it's Terra?" Cloud asked, "What if it's just Xehanort using the remains of Terra to use you?" The doubts coming from Aqua were so real that for a moment it felt like it had all come from him but the hint of sadness in her doubts reminded him from where all of this was coming and for the first time since she had appeared in his mind he felt grateful towards her. He had never questioned the "Terra being Xehanort"-part, he had never really taken the time to think it through and he had just accepted it as a fact.

"I saw him, Cloud. You saw it yourself. Xehanort folded when Terra tried to take control over the body."

It was true. Xehanort's body had shifted into someone else as that loud screech had echoed through the Castle That Never Was. It had looked like a mirage and it had only been for a few, short seconds. He had turned into someone Cloud had never seen before but Zack had recognized him as Terra. Would Xehanort leave himself so vulnerable, even for that short period of time, just to make everyone believe that the body's true owner still resided within it?

_Help him. _

Cloud staggered suddenly and Zack managed to grab him by his arm and keep him on his feet, "Wuah. Cloud..." He put Cloud's arm around his neck so that Cloud could rest against him as Zack helped him walk forward, "Let's rest for a bit. We just have to find a chair or something." Zack looked around and saw nothing but hallways and as he turned yet another corner he sighed and failed to believe the total lack of furniture. "Not even a plant." He mumbled and earned a weak snicker from Cloud. Zack sat Cloud down and carefully propped him against the wall before sitting down next to him with yet another sigh.

"...A wise old owl lived in an oak..."

Zack shifted slightly to get a decent look at Cloud when he heard him mumble something. It seemed to him that he had said it in sing-song and he wasn't sure if that really was Cloud or if it was Aqua talking through him.

"...The more he saw the less he spoke..."

Zack smiled softly and rested his head back against the wall and looked up in hope that the ceiling would be any different from the endless white walls. He still didn't know how much time had passed since that day when he had sent Cloud away, and the more into this he got the less it seemed time had passed. It was more like he had closed his eyes for a brief moment, just to rest a little only to continue the battle once he opened his eyes again. The feelings of uncertainty were growing stronger, especially after the questions Aqua had asked. He had just believed it to be Terra when Xehanort struggled to stand on his own two feet and when those golden eyes had been replaced with Terra's blue eyes Zack had really believed that his friend was still in there. Now he wasn't so sure anymore. He didn't want to risk Cloud helping Xehanort just because he had made a clumsy assumption.

Cloud nudged him faintly, somehow sensing Zack's restless thoughts. Cloud knew what he had to do. Regardless of who Xehanort was there was someone in dire need of his help, someone who knew both Xehanort and Terra, and Cloud knew that she had the power to put an end to all of this. Her desperation somehow told him that she knew what to do but to do it she would need help.

"...The less he spoke the more he heard..." Zack continued. He had heard the rhyme before but the most memorable time had been that night in Nibelheim. Cloud's mother had been singing it while she made her special stew and her voice had been so serene. Suddenly it felt like going back to that exact moment. He could feel the scent of the stew, the scent of the dry and tightly packed hay that made the ceiling, he could feel the cool and fresh air up in the mountains as Cloud told him about the village. They were sitting by the table and Zack remembered that he felt so at home there. He had been a bit nervous about how Cloud's mom would feel at having a Shinra-soldier in her home but she had welcomed him and smiled so brightly at him when Cloud had introduced him. Zack tried to take a look at her face but he couldn't. All he got was the pernicious look on Sephiroth's face as he turned and walked into the high flames that had the entirety of Nibelheim engulfed. Zack shook those thoughts away and hoped that Cloud hadn't been thinking the same.

As he looked up again he was back in Cloud's kitchen and as Zack turned to the window to see that everything was like it should be, he heard that serene voice sing that nursery rhyme again.

_Why can't we all be like that wise old bird?_

"Have you been thinking much of the past?" Zack asked as he heard Cloud sigh softly and he felt him nod. It wasn't just the influence from the castle, ever since he had started out on this journey he had felt that the past he had lost slowly came back to him. He hadn't felt so alive in what seemed like forever. It was still difficult for him to come to terms with the fact that he had really found Zack and that he was sitting right here next to him.

There was a soft whistle through the corridor and Zack frowned as he helped Cloud up onto his feet quickly. A portal of darkness opened up at the end of the hallway and out of it walked a hooded figure. He pulled back the hood to reveal his face as he waved off the portal and took a few steps forward. Lea looked at both of them, his face stern as Zack stepped in front of Cloud.

"It's time." He said simply, "Xemnas is waiting."

"How's Tifa and Cid?" Cloud was relieved that Lea was okay but at the same time he thought that if Lea was okay then that meant that his friends might be in trouble.

"They're fine." Lea figured that there was no need for them to know that Cid and Tifa were roaming around the castle, searching for them. Besides, Tifa hadn't seemed so fond of the things she found out about Cloud. Lea gave Zack a proper look. Cloud had found the person he was searching for and Lea was actually glad for him. He had gone through a lot to get here and yet there was still more to come. Xemnas had told him about the plans he had in mind and he had also told him about the things they would need to accomplish them. There were few things Lea cared for now and the people in that room where he had left Cid and Tifa did not fall under that category, neither did their worlds or precious objects. He was a heart away from seeing Roxas again, that was all that mattered.

"Cloud, are you sure you want to do this?" Zack felt his chest flutter in sheer nervousness as Cloud stepped forward. Cloud nodded, there was no mistaking the determination in his eyes and if Cloud was up for it then so was Zack. He wouldn't leave him behind, he'd stand by him every step of the way regardless of where that way led them. They both walked towards Lea as he opened a portal of darkness, bracing themselves for what was to come.

"Put your hood on." Lea said, "You can't risk having your heart corrupted now. Everything that happens to your heart happens to Zack's as well." Cloud reached for his hood and put it on, missing Zack's slightly surprised look at Lea's concern for Cloud's well-being and Cloud's neutral response to it, but then he remembered that Cloud had told him that Lea had been the one who had helped him get this far. It was still confusing since his first impression of the redhead had been anything but good.

The three of them disappeared into the corridor of darkness to wherever it was Xemnas was waiting.

**ooo**

Strings of transparent-blue light cracked through the floor and came from each tank in the room, every streak of light came together in the middle and formed a more powerful light that led right up to the ceiling, revealing small pathways for the liquid-like light to run through and make an odd pattern.

Tifa and Cid looked up in morbid awe as the people inside their tanks emitted a strange glow. They had stayed in the room in fear of getting lost and end up stuck in circles. This room was of importance, they knew that much and they had hoped that there would be something that would lead them on the right path. They had done right in waiting. This light would probably lead them right to where Cloud was.

"They are right upstairs." Tifa said and hurried over the closets bookcase where she could climb up. Cid sighed and cracked his fingers in frustration.

"Tifa, that could be twelve stories up for all we know."

"Shut up, Cid. We need to do this. For all _we know_ they could be right upstairs. We have to try. So don't even start with me." She put her gloves on and took a deep breath as she focused on the task at hand. There was a short moment of silence and as her mind went blank she unleashed a harsh blow onto the ceiling right above her, ready to smash blocks of marble if they fell down on her. Left was a gaping hole in the ceiling. "C'mon, let's go!" She pushed herself up through the hole she had made and came up on the other side which surprisingly was a white hallway. Whatever magic that had changed the room beneath them had apparently not been enough to change the whole castle but now they had the traces of light to follow at least. She waited for Cid to come up before she started to walk down the very long hallway. She listened for any sound of importance and she tried to be as focused as possible to sense if any dark corridors were about to open up. Seemingly, she wasn't the only one.

As she turned the corner she bumped into someone and in a reflex she aimed straight for the nose. Cid was in time to lessen the blow but it had been a blow nonetheless.

"Riku!"

Kairi's voice had come as a surprise and when Tifa took the time to actually look who it was she had bumped into she drew a gasp of surprise. It had been Riku and he was now holding his head up to stop his nose from bleeding and Kairi was holding him around his shoulders as she tried to support his head but it looked slightly awkward due to their difference in height.

"I'm so sorry." Tifa said and walked up to him and tried to do some damage-control. Riku just shook his head slightly before he could remove his hand to talk properly. "I'm fine. It's fine...I shouldn't have let my guard down." Kairi started to giggle as she cast a Cure-spell on him and as the bleeding stopped he turned to look at her which only made her laugh more. Kairi wasn't usually the one to laugh at someone's misery but it still felt nice to hear her laugh, it had been too long since the last time she had done that and even if Riku felt slightly put out he figured he could let her have some fun.

"I'm sorry," She said after a few moments, "It just...looked so weird. You're usually so ready for everything and then..." She started to laugh again at the mental re-run of what had happened and she tried to stifle it but it just made things worse. "...she just...right up your face..." She took deep breaths and tried to shake it off, she figured that the nervousness and what just had happened was the reason behind her giggle-fit. She sighed and looked up at Riku again.

"I'm glad I amuse you so," Riku said accusingly but failed to hide a smile, earning a playful shove from Kairi. It was nice to see that the two young Keyblade-wielders could be so relaxed with each other even in a situation like this but they didn't have all the time in the world.

Cid noticed that Riku and Kairi were by themselves and that there was no sign of King Mickey and the others. They must have decided that it was best to split up to raise the chances of finding Sora faster but judging by the fact that they were walking in the opposite direction of where Tifa and Cid were going it was safe to say that they were lost.

"Where are you going?" Cid asked. Riku looked down at the floor. The cracks of light were pretty hard to miss and they had figured that following the traces of it would lead them to where Sora was, which was pretty much the same plan Cid and Tifa had. "If you're following the cracks then I'm afraid you're going the wrong way. This will lead you down that hallway," Cid said and pointed down the hallway he had just walked down, "And down through a hole Tifa made and straight down to a really weird room where these psychos stored people from different worlds in glass-tanks. The tracks of light end there because that's where they come from."

"They're people down there?" Kairi gulped and stared down the hallway and then back at Cid, "Why didn't you release them?"

"We tried, but there's some kind of shield around them. We couldn't even make a scratch on it." Being there for what had seemed like hours had made it near to impossible to ignore those people and they had really tried to release them or to at least wake them but it had been futile. "C'mon, there is no time to waste. We need to find Cloud and Sora. We have to hurry back the way you came from." They all set off running down the hallway as they followed the traces of light, hoping that they would be in time to save their friends.

**ooo**

They were close to the chamber in which Xemnas was waiting. Cloud could feel that with each step that he took and there was a sickening feeling that grew stronger within him. Aqua was not happy with this and it made him anxious. He gave Zack a quick look from the corner of his eye and he realized that he was holding his breath. Anything that he did now would affect Zack as well. If he made the wrong choice and ended up helping Xemnas instead of Terra, Zack would be the one to live the consequences. His chest clenched again and he had to remind himself to breathe. He was truly selfish. He was putting his life at risk but he hadn't thought about how that would affect Zack, both physically and mentally. Cloud would probably kick Zack's ass into next decade if the man ever thought about putting his life at risk. Cloud wasn't sure he'd find the strength to go on if he lost him again, but had he ever stopped to think about how Zack was feeling about Cloud going through with this?

If he failed to survive the rescue of Aqua he would belittle everything Zack had ever sacrificed for him. All that time they had spent on the run, the entire journey to find him again, all of it would have been for nothing if he caved here. He had lived this fear many times before. Once he saw Zack again he was certain that it would go away and when they had stood there in the meadows, it had. For a brief moment that sense of fear had left him alone and that void it had left behind was taken over by something else. It had been the closest thing to peace he had felt in forever and right now he wanted that feeling back but the more he thought about it the stronger that fear became. He wanted to grab Zack and run away. He had what he had come for, he didn't want to jeopardize it for a battle that wasn't his to fight. This was something between the Keyblade-wielders and the darkness that threatened the worlds. They weren't supposed to stand in the front-lines for this. They were merely soldiers from a world that no longer existed.

Cloud reached his hand out and got a hold of Zack's shirt to stop him in his tracks. Lea heard them slow down and so did he but when he heard them stop walking altogether he kept going forwards. He knew that whatever it was that had to be said was not for him to hear.

There was something in how Cloud held onto his shirt that made Zack stop with his back towards Cloud.

"Don't do anything stupid." Cloud said, his voice low. When he had said it in his head it had sounded more tactful but he could sense Zack's smile at the remark and he remained silent, knowing that there was more that Cloud wanted to say. "And by stupid I mean anything that involves risking your life. I know, it's a hypocrite thing of me to say but – if you were to...if you were to disappear for real...I – I don't think I'd..." It almost felt like his chest closed up just at the thought and it was hard not to let his thoughts wander back to when King Mickey had told him that Zack was dead. He clenched his fist around the fabric he had in his hand at the memory of that moment and he had to force himself take a deep breath.

"I'm not going anywhere, Cloud. I told you, where you go, I go." Zack reached his hand back to take Cloud's hand in order to be able to turn around and face his friend. "I don't like this anymore than you do. But I think it's something we need to do before we can look forward." He smiled at Cloud again and it was one of those smiles where you couldn't argue whether things were about to go to hell or not. Things were going to be okay. That was all there was room to believe when Zack smiled like that, "I promise to be here if you promise."

In spite of the fact that his mind reminded him of everyone back in Radiant Garden that were waiting for him, Cloud felt that it was a promise he would keep. To him it had been another way of saying _if you live, I live; if you die, I die_.

He was selfish. He had found the person he was searching for and he knew that he wouldn't be able to let go. If he had to give up on everything else then he would.

"I promise."


	14. Chapter 14 Nothing Stupid

**Chapter 14: Nothing stupid**

Xemnas held back a scream of frustration as his machine bleeped and blinked red. This was not supposed to happen. He didn't have time for this. He looked at the young Keyblade-wielder that sat propped up on a thick, white tablet where some of the light ended up and made the machine Xemnas held in his hand respond. How was this young man supposed to help them if he refused to give back the one thing that really mattered?

"Boss,"

Xemnas turned around at the sound of Lea's voice and he let out a somewhat hysterical sigh as he saw that Lea had brought both Zack and Cloud. There was still a way to go around this. It would take a sacrifice but he was beyond caring about that now. He was close to achieve his goal, he was about to right everything that he had done wrong back then. Everything was going to go back to normal.

Cloud frowned slightly at the sight of Sora sitting there, unconscious and motionless. The fight back in the castle That Never Was had not been in favor of the good guys then. He truly hoped that Lea hadn't lied to him when he had said that Tifa and Cid were okay. He saw Zack look over at Sora as well and he could see him clench his jaw at the sight. Cloud was hoping that they had Sora purely for leverage and not for anything else. He had no intention of harming the young Keyblade-wielder.

"Good," Xemnas walked up to them and Zack quickly turned his attention to him and he tried to not to feel so relieved at seeing the man's blue eyes. "Unlock his heart." He was having a hard time not to sound as desperate as he was feeling but Lea had told him that the others had found a way into the castle. Time was of the essence now more than ever. His palms were actually sweating underneath the gloves he was wearing and his heart was beating so hard that it was difficult to hear his own thoughts through the insistent beating. "Unlock the Keyblade-wielder's heart!" He said, his voice coming out a bit more heated than he had intended it to.

Cloud stared at Xemnas defiantly and he could sense the uneasiness of his Keyblade at Xemnas' request but for once, Cloud's and Aqua's mind reacted in unison. "I'm not here to harm him." Cloud said, "I agreed to help you save Aqua and that is all I will do for you."

Xemnas' eyes flared dangerously and his breathing became heavy with anger, "You sent three worlds into an early grave, you killed thousands of people and you've betrayed those you call friends and you are telling me that your moral principals draw the line at unlocking that person's heart?" He was gritting his teeth and he was starting to shake with fury, "Who are you to stop me from saving my family?"

That was most certainly not Xemnas speaking, or rather, that was not Xehanort speaking and the desperation he had tried to hide showed clearly in his eyes. Cloud faltered in his determination and he glanced over at Sora quickly. He didn't know what unlocking someone's heart meant. He didn't know if that meant killing that person or making that person a Nobody – all he could make out of it was that it couldn't be good if Xemnas was asking him to do it. But the thing was that it wasn't Xemnas, it wasn't Xehanort, it was Terra.

"Terra, how can you ask him for something like that?" Zack countered in disbelief, "He is a Keyblade-wielder just like you. He has done nothing wrong. You told me you wanted to save Aqua not to kill the kid!"

"He isn't a Keyblade-wielder!" Xemnas exploded, annoyed at the ignorance of the people he was counting on. They weren't suppose to ask questions, they were supposed to trust him! He had changed, he wasn't the same Terra from before. The darkness didn't control him, he had it under control and these people were the only ones standing between him and complete redemption. "I didn't choose him as my heir." He continued with despise, "He took Ven's heart. That is why I need you to unlock it! I can't undo the entanglement of Ven's and Sora's hearts."

Lea looked over to where Roxas was sitting on the throne. That was Roxas' true self, that person sitting there was his past – the past he couldn't remember as a Nobody. Lea remembered that he had thought that Roxas maybe didn't want to share the memories he had of his past but now he understood. Roxas couldn't have memories of a past that wasn't his. Sora wasn't his whole self which was why Sora had been able to function even without Roxas. Naminé had been the one to entwine Roxas with Sora's memories which in turn led to Sora's need for Roxas when he woke up from his slumber. Xemnas' earlier need for a Keyblade-wielder to create Kingdom Hearts was behind this current mess.

Xemnas took a deep and calming breath as he tried to think about this rationally, he couldn't let his feelings get the best of him, not at this crucial moment. "Fine." He said, "Let's save Aqua." He turned on his heel and walked further into the room and stopped by the glass-tank in the room. If he couldn't make Cloud unlock Sora's heart then that was fine. He had another plan up his sleeve. He was certain that Aqua still had power over her Keyblade and she wouldn't hesitate to unlock Sora's heart in order to save Ven. They were a family and they had to be there for each other. All he had to do was to save her so that they both could save Ven.

Both Zack's and Cloud's eyes widened at the sight of the glass-tank. There was a large black wing, half-wrapped around a man that was much too familiar. Sephiroth lay floating inside, his eyes closed in what seemed to be a serene sleep. Cloud gulped. He hadn't seen the man since their last battle when they both disappeared from Radiant Garden.

"H-how did you..."

"He is surprisingly weak when you are close to the Light." Xemnas said with a hint of pride in his voice as he showed off Gaia's destructor. Terra had to shake his head briefly to get rid off the impending influence from Xehanort as he got close to that creature of darkness. Even if he was in control most of the time he had instances where he let his guard down and the Xehanort-part of him took over. Lea was still with Ven across from Sora. Zack, Cloud and Xemnas had gone into the other part of the grand room where Xemnas had decided to keep Sephiroth.

They had to hurry, Xemnas couldn't afford having the rest of the heroes barging in and destroy what he had managed to get to.

"How does this summoning work?" Cloud asked as he turned around to face Xemnas. He didn't want to stand so close to Sephiroth longer than necessary. It brought far too many memories of the endless days he had spent in a glass-tank back home as if he had been any other lab-rat.

Xemnas smirked, "I thought you'd never ask." In the blink of an eye Xemnas had sent off two large energy-spheres at both Zack and Cloud, trapping and constricting them up in the air. He could feel the attack consume him somewhat but he didn't care. He was close to his goal now. He was so close that he could feel it, he could reach out and touch it.

"Summon the Keyblade!" He demanded, seeing how both of them were trying to wriggle out of his magic's grip, but he knew that it was futile and they they were both tiring themselves for nothing. Cloud was taking his dear time as he tried to pull his hands out of the cuffs the thorny mist formed around his wrists.

"Summon the Keyblade, Cloud. Don't make me do something we'll both regret afterward." He tightened the mist around Zack's wrists and ankles and made new mist appear around his throat to make his point.

The encircled pentagram he was held against was lit up with blueish energy and made the thorny mist stronger, making it impossible for Cloud to move one bit. He looked down at Xemnas while hearing Aqua's protest in the back of his mind.

_Sorry._

There was a bright flash of light when Cloud summoned the Keyblade and it made a sound of a thousand screams. Xemnas could not imagine the excruciating pain Cloud must have gone through at that moment as the Keyblade's memories and feelings ran through his mind like two high-speed trains on collision course. The darkness in Cloud's heart responded to the strong light the Keyblade emitted and a large, dark cloud formed above them, crackling with bolts as it started to swirl. The gravity from both the Keyblade's light and Cloud's darkness made a violent wind whirl through the room and there was a loud screech coming from the depths of the dark cloud as the Keyblade started to spin.

There was a rumbling noise before the light and darkness met, causing a loud and blinding explosion. Xemnas stood up on shaky legs, blinking until he could focus his blurry vision. As the dust settled he managed to get a good look at the room and from the middle he saw a familiar figure stand up with an eloquence he hadn't seen in anyone else. She was just like he remembered her. Her short, blue hair framed her beautiful face and she looked out over the room with a certainty he sometimes had envied her for.

She was looking straight at him and he stood tall as he looked back at her. She recognized him. She knew that it was Terra who was looking at her, despite the gray hair and his slightly altered features. Her name was caught in his throat and he completely forgot what he was doing here.

Xemnas was faintly aware of Lea coming closer, his footsteps slow and uncertain. But then there was something else that demanded his attention. There was a tear that rolled down Aqua's face as she looked at him and there was a sadness there in her eyes that he would have given anything to take away.

"This isn't how it was supposed to be, Terra." Another tear fell as she came to terms with the fact that the person standing before her really was her friend. Or what was left of him. "What have you done?"

The accusing question pained Terra and he shook his head lightly, "I haven't..." No, she wasn't supposed to worry like this. He was good now. His darkness was gone and he was making things right again. He was making himself worthy again. "I'm fixing everything so that we can go back to normal..." When he took a few steps towards her, she raised her Keyblade and shook her head, "Aqua, we can go back to how things were. We can live our dream together. You, me and Ven." He tried to give her an assuring smile but there was too much fear within him, "Xehanort is gone now. He can't hurt us anymore."

"You _are_ Xehanort, Terra!" She yelled, holding out her Keyblade so as to stop Xemnas from coming any closer. As painful as it was admitting it, she knew it had to be done, "Look at all of this. Look at what it's come to! The Terra I knew wouldn't do this. Xehanort would. You are still controlled by your darkness, that's why your Keyblade hasn't returned to you. That's why we can never go back to how things were."

Terra's resolution weakened and as it did he released the grip he had of Zack and Cloud who were still floating in mid-air, trapped by the restricting black, thorny mist. Zack used what was left of the shield behind him to use his feet and push himself through the air to get to Cloud and grab a hold of him before he hit the floor.

He could feel his entire body freeze at the feel of Cloud's motionless body and he fought back the panic that threatened to take over him. He shook him slightly but there was no response, nothing that would even indicate that Cloud felt any pain or anything at all. His face was pale and his hands were turning cold.

"Cloud," He shook him again, "Cloud, c'mon." He tried to make his brain function, he needed a Cure-spell. He fumbled with his words until he got it right and he tried again and again but there was no response. Zack was faintly aware of Aqua's and Xemnas' voice in the background but whatever it was that was happening between them now was no concern of his. He had to find a way to wake Cloud up, maybe he was stunned or frozen. Zack cursed under his breath. He hadn't brought any items with him and – he suddenly remembered his Esuna-spell and began chanting it, praying that it was what Cloud needed. There was a purple glow around Cloud that quickly faded away once Zack was done with his spell but the blond remained unresponsive and that panic he had been fighting off became more difficult to hold back.

Zack had given him part of who he was once. That was what had kept Cloud alive back then, if this summoning had made his heart start to deteriorate again then there was only one thing to do. Zack could literally not live if Cloud's heart did vanish, the same was true for Sephiroth. Cloud wouldn't be able to blame him if he did perish doing this. There was no other choice. He felt his own body tremble as he forced forward the light that lay deep within his being and as he was about to put his hand above Cloud's chest came a small fireball that was big enough for him to pull his hand back in reflex. He didn't have to look for the culprit who quickly materialized before him, staring him straight in the eye.

"Nothing stupid." Lea said, "You promised him that." Lea reached into his pockets and pulled out a small and long box, giving it to Zack. Zack opened it quickly and saw a feather that shone with a orange gleam. It was a Phoenix Down. It had been long since he saw one of those and he couldn't even begin to fathom where Lea could have gotten one.

Zack had barely identified the item before he had taken it out of its box and put it against Cloud's chest, hoping and praying that it wasn't too late. Cloud's body absorbed the feather and radiated an orange glow as the feather lifted him into a sitting-position.

His eyes flew open and he drew a gasp of air as his colors came back to him. Zack held him tightly, chuckling with relief and Cloud felt his energy being restored as Zack cast a Cura-spell over him. He had survived the summoning. It was over now. It had to be. He had done what had been asked of him in order to get Zack back and they had both survived it. He rested his head against Zack's shoulder, closing his eyes tightly to keep all the emotions that threatened to spill down his cheek. He had been a lowly grunt once, destined to die at the hands of the mad scientist Hojo, destined to fall into oblivion much like his world had but someone had found him worthy of rescuing. Zack had been there to bring him up when he was down, he had been there when Cloud had been at his worst and he had given him a reason to keep on going when everything told him to just give up. Zack had been the light that had helped him defeat Sephiroth and go back to Radiant Garden to finally find him.

"Don't ever do that to me again," He heard Zack whisper to him, his voice heavy and thick. It was hard to swallow and his chest was still hurting from the panic he had held back on earlier. He was trembling still and he didn't want to let go for anything, not until he had assured himself that Cloud was still here, alive and well. That was all that mattered.

They had both survived the ordeals in their way. They had hit rock bottom and gotten up over and over again. Zack found pride in that. They were the sole survivors of Gaia, her light and darkness continued to live within them.

Lea got up onto his feet and intended to leave when Zack quickly looked up and stopped him from leaving.

"Hey," Zack let go of the embrace and helped Cloud get up and he faced Lea. "I can't thank you enough. For everything." Lea looked slightly embarrassed but he gave a quick nod, he hadn't done it merely out of generosity alone. He was a selfish man and as such he rarely did things that didn't benefit him as well. Cloud was his friend too, Cloud was probably the only friend Lea had left and he had seen Cloud's struggle to get to Zack. He couldn't have let it end it that way, not when they were so close to the finish-line.

"Guess you owe me big time."

Cloud smiled softly at that line he had heard before and he sighed, slightly taken back by how light he felt, "Guess we do." They all wanted to share that moment for a bit longer but they were interrupted when a large block of ice crashed against the wall behind them, missing Sephiroth's glass-tank by a mere inch.

Aqua was fighting Xemnas. Xemnas had reflected the ice-blocks thrown at him, he wasn't fighting back. It looked so strange to see him simply block and dodge Aqua's attacks with a pleading look. She refused to unlock Sora's heart, saying that Terra had chosen the wrong path and that there was no way for them to get Ven back the way things were now.

"I won't let you harm Ven, Xehanort." Aqua looked at her opponent with great indifference. She felt nothing towards the man that had caused all this chaos. All she felt was the need to fulfill her duty as a Master and rid herself of the evil that had haunted both her and her friends.

Xemnas laughed as he straightened his back and stared at the woman defying him with a sudden look of malice and despise. His eyes flashed between amber and blue until his eyes were one of each. His laughter turned mad as a growing black spot underneath him began to spurt his trademark thorny mist around him.

"You will never defeat me. You will meet the same fate as all the others who have ever dared to oppose me." He laughed again as he levitated from the ground, stretching his arms upwards as he reached for control over the mist above him. "My reign begins here. The Keyblade War will rage again and I will get _my_ blade." The mist surrounded him until he was no longer visible. It suddenly exploded with a loud echo in the background, shaking the room with its force.

Before them stood now a monster that roared like only a beast could. Xemnas stood floating by the beast as he raised his hands again and summoned his Nobodies of choice, the Sorcerers. The four spectators took a few steps back in shock and that sense of finally being done was gone with the wind at the sight of what there was still left to fight.


	15. Chapter 15 Awakening

**Chapter 15: Awakening **

The castle shook violently, making them lose footing and fall to the floor as a beastly roar echoed through the empty hallways. It came from down this hallway they soon realized and all of them hurried up onto their feet and ran as fast as they could.

Riku was the first one to run into the large room from which the roar had come from. He quickly took a look at the room to find Sora and he saw his best friend sit motionless on a thick, medium-sized slab of marble. His head hung to his side and it didn't take long for Riku to notice that the part of the room he wanted to get to had been sealed off. There were times when he wished for the powers darkness had once granted him. Back then he could have easily broken the seal and gotten to Sora, he didn't need the gummiship to go to places and for some reason rumors traveled faster in the Realm of Darkness; those were all things he couldn't enjoy while being on the good side. Being a protector of light was challenging and as much as he sometimes wished for those powers he also thought of what he would have to sacrifice in order to go back to what he once had been and truth to be told, it wasn't worth it.

The party walked further inside the room and didn't stop until they saw the large monster summon Nobodies as Xemnas stared down at a blue-haired girl.

"You and your friends stood no chance against me last time. What makes you think that you alone can defeat me?" Xemnas asked in an overly concerned voice and tried to hold back a snicker. Aqua hadn't counted on the presence of the other Keyblade-wielders and she was surprised when two ran up beside her.

"She's not alone, Xemnas." Riku said. He loathed the man before them with every fiber of his body and he looked forward into sending this man into oblivion where he belonged. Riku had been liberated from the darkness that once controlled him but he still suffered from the scars of it. There were times when he woke up at night, petrified that everything had been a dream and that he was still stuck in that body of evil.

Aqua recognized both the Keyblade-wielders. They had both grown into good people, she could sense it. They had been through things they shouldn't have and Aqua felt guilty for it. She looked back at Xemnas defiantly. She knew that he had hoped that her love for Ven would be enough to blind her and make her comply with whatever it was Xemnas had planned. As Xemnas called forward a rain of electrified, purple spheres; time slowed down. She could hear a faint battle cry and as a purple sphere came at her she didn't even blink when Kairi raised a strong wall of protection, sending the sphere right back at Xemnas. She caught his gaze and looked straight into his eyes. If she attacked Xemnas now she wouldn't stop until she killed him. She smiled sadly at him and tried not to think of how things had been meant to be.

_Terra, I'll save you too. _

She closed her eyes and as she did, her Keyblade disappeared from her grasp. Aqua would have no need for it, not now at least. As long as she had it, Xemnas would try to make her unlock Sora's heart to save Ven and truth to be told, she wasn't sure how long she would withstand being in the same room as Ven and not save him.

Cloud stared at Aqua from where he stood across the room as he felt the Keyblade right before it materialized in his hand.

_I trust you. _

He had already come to terms with the fact that the fight wasn't over. Zack was ready to fight and Cloud looked over to Lea. Cloud knew that his only interest here was to get Roxas back and as it was now Lea would only obtain that goal if he sided with Xemnas.

Lea summoned his chakrams and sensed that Cloud was looking at him and he rolled his eyes at him, "I didn't revive you to kill you again, silly." He smiled at both Zack and Cloud as his chakrams caught fire, "Nothing stupid, now." He told them both before quickly teleporting himself closer to one of the large Nobodies that were approaching the heroes.

There was a flash in the large room when one of Xemnas' purple spheres touched the floor. Zack and Cloud took that as their cue and ran towards the battlefield before them. Cloud produced a small orb at the palm of his hand as he ran by Zack, sliding his hand across his back to let the small orb be absorbed by Zack's body. Zack would have to rely on magic to fight these monsters and Cloud restored his magic to make up for all the magic Zack had used healing him.

As Cloud hit the monster with the Keyblade he realized that he had seen something similar before. Back when he had been in that strange place where he had remembered Zack's name there had been a dark monster with a hole where his abdomen should be, this monster was a metallic gray with a large insignia on his body and it used similar attacks as the monster Cloud once encountered. Cloud stared at the glowing eyes of the monster that roared again as Cloud struck him on the head time and time again. The monster slammed its fist to the ground, just barely missing Zack.

"Don't let it get you." Cloud said as he landed right beside him, "It hurts like a bitch." Zack chuckled as his hands began to sparkle with the electricity he was accumulating, "Mouth, Cloud."

The monster slammed his other fist onto the ground and Zack jumped away and up onto the fist. He ran up the monsters arm with the agility of a monkey in a tree, not giving the monster a chance to shake him off. By the time he had reached its head, his entire body was sparkling with bolts of electricity and he put his hands onto the monsters head and unleashed a powerful thunderbolt-spell just as Cloud moved away from the monster to avoid being electrocuted. The monster stood stunned, there were small bolts making sizzling noises as they appeared on the large body. As Zack jumped down, Cloud jumped up and Zack turned in mid-air to give Cloud a boost, grinning at him as their eyes met for a brief second. Just as Cloud passed over the monster's head he made a somersault in the air, lifting the Keyblade over his head only to push it down brutally over the monster's head. Left was only a mist of darkness as the monster broke down into small orbs that quickly disappeared once they hit ground.

Once Cloud had come back down, Zack had already set off for the next target and at that moment Cloud was reminded of how long it had been he had seen the former Soldier First Class fight and how he once had wished for the same strength and agility. The monster behind Xemnas was still spitting those purple spheres regularly and it seemed like the spheres were like heat-seeking missiles as they always set course after the closest targets. Zack dodged them easily, looking like he was enjoying the exercise of running around and fighting off the threats. Aqua was fighting the monster behind Xemnas with magic and she did her best to ignore Xemnas' taunting words, she failed to notice the proximity of one of the other big monsters and she let out a yelp of surprise when Zack grabbed her around the waist, casting an ice-spell onto the ground to slide away faster from the large fist that missed them.

"Long time, no see," Zack smiled as he let go of Aqua once they were back on their feet again. It was his turn to yelp in surprise when Aqua threw a huge block of ice right by him just in time to stop a Dusk from ambushing Zack. She smiled at him and she felt a sense of relief at seeing someone she had met before all of this had happened. Zack knew Terra and he knew Ven too. To Zack they weren't just some random names that showed up out of nowhere. They were friends. Aqua would have run up and hugged him hadn't it been for that monster she had only seen in the Realm of Darkness before. They jumped away from the slamming fist and Zack quickly jumped to get onto that fist to do a similar number he had done on that other one.

On the other side of the room stood Tifa and Cid, watching the scene unfold in front of them without really knowing what to do about it. They had watched Riku and Kairi run up to the blue-haired girl and they had seen the destructive power Xemnas was unleashing upon them and they had thought that maybe they were out of their league until they both saw a flash of fire from the other side of the room where Tifa identified Cloud. She watched him fight alongside a dark-haired man in dark clothing and at first she thought that maybe it was yet another Organization-member Cloud had befriended but he had no weapon and no trademark coat, and then she remembered what Cid had told her about Cloud wanting to find a certain person.

"Tifa!" Cid tried to grab her by the arm and stop her from running right into the middle of a full-out war. She was great at actual fights, when the opponent wasn't twenty times her own size and judging by the monsters Cid would say that Xemnas had reached into the depths of darkness to get these guys. Tifa hadn't brought the pendant that allowed her to use magic and Cid was afraid that she would just get in the way.

She didn't manage to get close though. Lea spotted her a mile away and he quickly appeared in front of her with an all too polite smile. "Oh, no, you're not." He said, shaking his head softly, "Not now. I don't know if you haven't noticed but Cloud's got a bit of a situation on his hands and I don't think your presence is going to make it any easier to deal with, so don't make me hurt you." Tifa stared defiantly at him, her blood boiling in her veins with anger. She hated being patronized, especially by bad guys. She was going to walk pass him but Lea grabbed her by the arm. She wasn't afraid of looking him right in the eye. She had faced worse to get to Cloud.

"You're the one who thinks he's a nutcase," Lea said amused as he came to that conclusion. Tifa didn't seem amused at all and she frowned slightly as Lea snickered, "You're here to spell reality to him? Why bother if he doesn't listen to you?"

Cloud had at least mentioned her to his new friends although it was disturbing to hear what it was he had been telling Lea, but Tifa had no time to stand here and explain herself to this man.

"Because I'll stand by him. Regardless of the decisions he makes." Tifa pulled her arm out of Lea's grasp and walked back towards the battlefield in front of her. Lea looked after her, shaking his head slightly as he sighed. Who'd think he would meet two persons with the ability to twist people around their little finger during his lifetime. He envied Cloud. There were a lot of people who cared for him and he had come to realize that he had become one of them. The other person with that ability was sitting motionless on the other side of the room and Lea still remembered what he had done to save him once.

Lea gripped his chakrams tightly and gave Cid a quick glance before teleporting back into the fight. He made a resolution with himself as his fire cut through a Nobody, once this was over, he was going to be a person with that ability and he would surround himself with people who cared for him, and if there was a greater force out there who sided with him then Roxas would be amongst those people. If not, he would settle with the memories.

As he looked up he saw that Tifa had knocked down at least a dozen Nobodies and she was still determinate in getting to Cloud.

Cloud nearly choked on air as he saw Tifa hurry towards him and he almost instinctively teleported out of there when he reminded himself that he wasn't on the run or anything. There was nothing left to hide anymore. By the time he had touched floor again, Tifa had come close enough for him to see the look of confusion and hurt in her eyes and he tried not to sigh.

Tifa didn't, couldn't, look away. She was feeling so many different feelings right now and she wasn't sure which one would be dominate enough to show in whatever confrontation lay ahead. She wasn't sure that she knew the man before her. The Cloud she knew did keep things to himself, sure, but never things like these. He had told his friends about Sephiroth, he had warned them and somehow relied on them to support him and though the words she had said to Lea still rung in her head she couldn't get over the fact that she did feel deeply hurt by Cloud's actions. The sad thing was that she wasn't even sure if Cloud would even regret the things he had done.

She tried to stop the trails of thoughts that were building the lump in her throat and she swallowed it away stubbornly even though it kept coming back and threatened to make her eyes watery. She couldn't stop thinking of how people sometimes teased them both for always being together and for playing hard to get when they were obviously in a semi-official relationship. There had been a time when she found amusement in the teasing but not anymore. It hurt more than anything because she knew that it was as far away from the truth as it could be. A relationship shouldn't be like theirs, filled with secrets and white lies. She knew Cloud cared for her, but maybe not in the way she would want him to. She clenched her fists. This was not what she wanted to feel. She would end up being in the way if she threw a tantrum now, she knew that, but these feelings had been building up for so long and having Cloud right there, fully geared-up in the enemy's uniform and with images of Cloud running away from them – from her – made her feel so betrayed.

Tifa stood now in front of him and his initial reaction was to explain everything but his habits were indeed hard to break and as he opened his mouth he realized that he would rather procrastinate. "Tifa..." He looked out over the large room, hoping that the scene would explain itself and that Tifa would agree to fight their opponents before dealing with all of this, but her eyes were only set on him and as he was about to phrase his concern for them having a conversation now he missed the flash of anger on her face. A hard slap connected with his face and he felt his cheek burn as he slowly looked back at Tifa and he gulped.

"That's for running away." She said and took a step back, "We'll deal with the rest later. Like we always do." She felt ashamed. This was not the way it was supposed to be, but what was done, was done and the only thing to do now was to fight off these monsters once and for all.

Cloud swallowed the bad feeling left in him as Tifa turned away from him and hurried back to the battlefield. He couldn't remember seeing disappointment like that in anyone's eyes ever and if there was anything that he hated it was feeling like he had let a friend down. But he knew also that he had expected something like this. It was collateral damage and as he teleported closer to Zack he made the final decision that regardless of the consequences left to face for his actions, this had been worth it.

As yet another huge Nobody was destroyed into small orbs and as they approached their next target, Riku hurried up to them, cutting through a Dusk like it was nothing. He was looking slightly beat but he was far from caving in. When Cloud jumped up to get to the monster's head, Riku jumped up after him, there were things to be discussed while Kairi and Aqua diverted Xemnas' attention.

"Cloud, we need your help." Riku dodged one of the beast's attack and got in a strike on its head before falling back and landed on the monster's shoulder. Cloud glared at him with distrust. Riku was with King Mickey and since King Mickey wasn't here yet Cloud figured that Riku was there to go through with the plan himself. He had enough problems at hand to deal with whatever it was they wanted and he needed the Keyblade to finish off the monster's without risking them coming back.

Riku gulped at the look in Cloud's eyes. They needed his help urgently and as it was now they had only one plan to solve this situation.

"We have to bring Sora back but to do that we need your help, Cloud. If Xemnas realizes what we're about to do we'll lose Sora forever. Please." Riku had nothing against pleading for Sora. He would do what he had to do to save his best friend even if it meant that he had to beg the man he had seen as one their enemies for all this time. As they landed back on the floor, Cloud looked over at Zack and he knew what he had to do. Besides, he had a lot of bad karma to atone for and he didn't want to be the one to hold a grudge.

Zack cast a Blizzaga-spell as he jumped up again and Lea threw his flames at the block of ice before it had time to smash over the monster's head, soaking the monster in water. Zack was already on to him and his body was yet again sparkling with bolts but this time he sent them off from a distance. Cloud walked away with Riku since his two friends were clearly more than capable of handling the monster by themselves.

Riku lost no time, as soon as Cloud turned his attention to him he spoke, "You can break the seal. With Aqua's Keyblade. Once you've done that we can release Sora."

That made sense. Xemnas' had been awfully keen on having Aqua or Cloud unlock Sora's heart and yet he hadn't tried to manipulate either Riku or Kairi into doing it. Cloud could only assume that it was because Ven's heart would probably respond better to Aqua's Keyblade than to anyone else's, but there was more to the seal than just breaking it. "What about Ven?" He asked. Cloud had half-expected that Riku would have him explain who Ven was and all but he simply frowned and looked away for a brief moment. He knew.

"There's a stage two in our plan." Riku confessed, "Sora won't wake up on his own. Ven's heart has awakened and he won't let Sora go – he's stronger than Sora right now but not strong enough to control his body. Kairi can help him but since both hearts are struggling for control we're not sure what heart she'll end up healing. But we have to give it a try."

"What do I have to do?" Cloud asked.

"You have to counter Kairi's light," Riku looked at Cloud with a serious expression. Aqua had told Kairi what they needed to do – to make Sora's or Ven's heart respond they had to be balanced out by both darkness and light. Kairi had a Heart of Light and Cloud had enough darkness to balance her out. Cloud was probably a better candidate for this than anyone Riku could think of, not even King Mickey could compete with him even though the King wielded the Keyblade of the Dark Realm.

"Is it risky?" Cloud had just gotten out of summoning Aqua and he had put Zack at risk. That was not going to happen again, even if he was fully aware of the fact that Zack wouldn't want him to turn his back on the kid in need of his help.

"Only if you can't withstand Kairi's light." Riku figured that honesty was the best way to go about this. They had given Cloud reasons not to trust them and Riku didn't want to risk having the blond changing his mind at the last second for feeling insecure with the answers given to him.

Cloud glanced at the one-winged angel whose dark heart was forever connected to his. "Count me in." He wanted to make some good use of the darkness in his heart and having it save the day would be more than good enough. A weight seemed to have been lifted off the young Keyblade-wielder's shoulders, "Be ready."

He turned around to get back into the battle, he would have to be close to Xemnas to be able to divert his attention from their plan and as soon as Riku had run off, Cloud turned to see that both Zack and Lea had moved onto another monster, finding new ways of combining their attacks to surprise their target.

Cloud followed after Riku, thinking that he should stay close by to not miss the cue. Aqua looked up and saw him for the first time. She wasn't sure what she had expected, maybe someone who'd look a little bit more like the selfish jerk she had concocted in her head but he almost looked innocent compared with what she might have imagined. Cloud had been the one to bring her back and he had also been the one to help both Terra and Xehanort get to this. She could only hope that the weak heart she had sensed in him would be strong enough to live through what they had to do. She trusted him in a sense. Not in the same way she trusted Kairi or even Zack. But trust wasn't part of this equation, not for this part anyway. She had to get to Ven before Xemnas could and to do that she needed Cloud.

"Riku!" Aqua emitted a blueish light as she reached out for Riku. Riku took her hand and they both spun around, surrounding Xemnas with blue spheres that rained down on him like bullets. Cloud sent a blast of black energy towards Sora, crashing the seal and letting the dark sphere surround the young Keyblade-wielder. The force in the sphere lifted Sora out of his sitting position and as he levitated Kairi pointed her Keyblade towards him, releasing the power within her Heart of Light and making her light surround her friend as Cloud shot away yet another blast of darkness.

"Cloud!" Tifa stood paralyzed on her spot further away, stunned by what she was seeing. Cloud was still siding with Xemnas. She felt her heart sink as she watched Kairi fight against whatever it was Cloud was sending off at Sora and just as she managed to get her body to respond to her commands, there was a hand that held her firmly by her shoulder so as to stop her from running towards Cloud.

"You'll just get in the way if you run to him now." Tifa didn't take her time to process the voice speaking to her. In her mind it was Lea again who thought that he had the right to interfere just because Cloud had deemed him worthy of befriending.

"Stop telling me that I'm in the way! Who the hell do you think you are?" She shoved away the hand off her shoulder and turned around angrily only to draw a gasp of surprise when she found herself staring right into ocean-blue eyes with the same gleam Cloud had in his eyes. It was the black-haired man she had seen fight alongside Cloud; the man Cid said Cloud had been looking for. His face was gentle and he scratched the back of his neck sheepishly, "Look, I know that much of this makes no sense but I assure you that once this is over, Cloud will explain everything. Just, give it time."

Tifa wasn't sure what to say. He was looking at her with an apologetic look in his eyes and he seemed so sincere. That was a quality Tifa hadn't had the privilege to encounter much these past months. She must have nodded at some point because the man hurried over to the weakening monster behind Xemnas. He had smiled at her before leaving and Tifa stood there, confused as to what just had happened. As she looked up to see Cloud there was an explosion that lit up the entire room and after it followed a strong gush of wind. At the end of the other room an oval sphere surrounded the young Keyblade-wielder caused by the two strong energies that had fought for his heart.

Sora had awakened.


	16. Chapter 16 Memories

**Chapter 16: Memories**

There was a loud, whistling noise cutting through the air as Sora plowed through it in the blue sphere surrounding him. Xemnas was given a split second to react and pull out his own weapons to defend himself from Sora's strike. Sora stared straight into Xemnas' eyes and saw the look of horror as Xemnas realized that he had just stopped _two_ Keyblades from running him through.

"Y-you're not Ven..."

Sora didn't reply. He pushed down both Keyblades and used Xemnas' resistance to push himself away enough to go to attack again. He was moving fast and combining attacks he would only be able to use while in his other forms but neither Donald nor Goofy were there so that would be impossible. Riku stared awestruck as he saw Sora reach his full potential and nothing was as gratifying as seeing the twisted look of shock on Xemnas' face as all he could do was block the attacks that showered over him. Kairi hurried over to Riku and Aqua as she too tried to catch a glimpse of Xemnas' struggle.

"You guys, we gotta get ready." Both Aqua and Riku nodded in agreement, both of them going in two different directions. Kairi stood in front of the battle, facing Sephiroth in the tank while Riku and Aqua stood further away, facing each other, the three of them making an incomplete circle around Xemnas and Sora.

The monster behind Xemnas emitted a loud roar as it began to deteriorate, swallowed by the black mist in which it had materialized and as it finally disappeared Xemnas fell onto the ground. His frown was deep and he was showing signs of exhaustion as he put all his attention on blocking Sora's never ending attacks. As Xemnas touched floor Sora flew back, facing Kairi from where he stood and the Keyblade that Cloud had been holding disappeared from his grasp and back into the hands of its real master.

The four Keyblade-wielders summoned some kind of magic and a circle of light appeared underneath them, looking much like the emblem that appeared when Cloud had seen high-ranked soldiers summon in Gaia. The symbols in the seal were ancient and Zack could recognize them too. The four Keyblade-wielders raised their Keyblades and then they lowered them as they bowed their heads and Cloud couldn't help the heavy feeling in his chest at seeing something he hadn't seen in years.

"No!" The light paralyzed Xemnas where he stood as he struggled against it. His eyes turned back to blue as he looked at Aqua but the second she looked back it started to shift between amber and blue. Sora manipulated the light around Xemnas to turn him around and make his nemesis face him. "Traitor." He hissed as Sora's silhouette flared between Ven and Sora. His breathing was heavy and he tried to walk closer to the young man he had labeled as traitor. The light holding him down seemed to be feeding off whatever energy he had left to spare after fending off Sora.

"V-ven...this is hurting me..." He pleaded with Sora, stumbling forward as he tried to gain eye-contact with him but he was stared down ruthlessly.

"You used me." There were two voices coming out of Sora's mouth and the blue sphere surrounding him reacted at his emotions and emitted a strange, transparent smoke.

Lea tensed at the sight of Roxas even if he looked more like a ghost than a real human. It felt like it had been years since the last time he had seen the blond and he felt helpless just standing there, watching how his friend had to face down his enemy with a group of people in which he didn't belong.

"That's not true, Ven." Xemnas stumbled, "I tried to protect you." He was certain that Ven was the one in control now. He would recognize that stubborn look in those deep blue eyes anywhere. It wasn't Sora nor Roxas, it was Ven. Terra tried to reach out and pushed away the remnants of Xehanort within him as he tried to make Ven see that it was him. The light surrounding him was painful and it was suffocating him. Things weren't the way Ven imagined them to be. He had felt Ven's presence when Xemnas had gone to the Twilight Mansion and given Ven a new name. He had tried to awaken from his slumber but to no avail, even in his sleeping form he had been forced to see what Xemnas had driven Ven to, using the fact that Ven had reacted to Terra's presence as well.

"Remember." Terra urged him, "Ven, it's me. I would never do anything to hurt you."

"Liar!" The strange hybrid of Ven and Sora clenched his left hand tightly, making the light around Xemnas squeeze him to show the anger that he had held back from the very start of this journey. "You wanted Kingdom Hearts. Darkness has consumed you and all you wanted was revenge. You never cared for me or for Aqua!"

Aqua looked from Ven to Xemnas in confusion. Her heart got caught in her throat when she heard Ven say that Terra had been consumed by darkness, she had been holding onto the hope that there still was a chance to save Terra but if what Ven was saying was true then Xehanort and Terra really had become one person. If it had come to that then it was her responsibility to end him here and now. Her hands were trembling and she gulped when she looked back at Xemnas and watched him slowly pale as his long, gray hair began to change color.

"Ven..." His eyes were slowly turning blue but there were still a hint of amber in them. He tried to move forward but the light holding him back was growing stronger it seemed, "I've missed you."

"Shut up!" The seal on the floor brightened and sent a gush of wind through the room, "You're no better than Xehanort! You could have stopped this long time ago if you had wanted to, before it all spun out of control like this. You surrounded me with people who came to mean the world to me only to take them away!"

Xemnas looked up tiredly at him. He knew what people Ven was talking about. All of Roxas' memories were intact within him. Even those he shouldn't remember. He couldn't even begin to imagine all the things Ven must have felt at being told that he was a Nobody when in reality he had been a manifestation of his will and essence; things that were released when Sora unlocked his own heart to rescue Kairi. Ven had been stripped out of all of his memories and the Xehanort-part of Xemnas had made use of that. He had the opportunity to take control of Ven again and begin anew with his plans. What Ven was saying was true though, Terra had been furious and even in his sleep he had felt frustrated at how powerless he was and those feelings had stayed with him even when he awoke. It was because of those feelings that he had acted on his own, feeling like there was no time to lose and in doing that he had served Xehanort by going along with his plans. He had misdirected the Keyblade-wielder's attention elsewhere so that he could get to his friends faster. He hadn't been thinking clearly and now things were going wrong. Again.

Dark mist began to dance around the seal and around Xemnas. Just as they all thought Xemnas was fighting back they saw Sora hold up Oblivion, "How about being killed with your own element?"

Aqua was afraid that if she looked at Ven now she would get to see a face she had hoped never to see again but in spite of her fear she looked over at her friend who'd suffered more hardships than she had during her time in the Dark Realm. His hand was shaking with fury and a single tear made it down his face but Sora wiped it away angrily.

"Ven, stop." Aqua lowered her Keyblade. Xemnas wasn't struggling anymore and the only thing holding him up was the strings of light bound tightly around him. His hair wasn't gray anymore and she felt her heart drop to her stomach when some of his pained sounds came out in Terra's voice. "You don't have to do this."

"Stop defending him!" Ven turned his gaze to Aqua and in his eyes she could see the person she feared to see, Ven was struggling within himself and she knew that if he was to kill Terra now, he would never forgive himself. The dark mist was starting to form into strings much like the light had done and they were swirling closer to Terra as Ven snarled, "If you hadn't been so weak for him then none of this would have happened. I'm just doing what you were supposed to do. You don't know how cruel he can be."

Lea had a lump in his throat and he walked slowly closer to the hybrid of Sora and Ven. His mind was racing and blaring like the Memory Skyscraper had done back when he had fought against Saïx, making him close off everything else in his surroundings. Roxas had been there when Axel had saved Sora from all of those Dusks, he had always been there. Killed with your own element, surrounded with people who meant the world to him, Ven was talking about him. Him and Xion.

"Roxas," He surprised himself by how broken his voice came out but he got Ven's attention. Ven turned his attention to Lea, blue meeting emerald for the first time in what for Lea had felt like forever. "I'm here, Roxas."

It felt like his heart was being pinched and his arms were tingling as he took another step closer. Roxas looked at him in awe and his blueish shadow moved closer while Sora stood put. He left a trail of blue shadows as he moved and Lea felt like his head was about to pop when Roxas smiled at him the same way he had back when they sat on the clocktower in Twilight Town as he slowly became small orbs of light.

_We'll see each other again, right?_

"Axel," He shook his head briefly, "Lea..." He smiled again, "I told you we'd see each other again." Lea chuckled and nodded his head, "Who's the know-it-all now?" He countered and earned a snicker from his friend. It felt like a huge rock was resting on his chest and it was getting harder to ignore the lump in his throat as Roxas reached out his hand to take Lea's hand in his. His fingers slipped right through his hand and the blue shadow that was Roxas pulled his hand back in disappointment. Lea wanted to joke it off but he couldn't, what he had to do was to stop Roxas from doing something Lea knew he was a cause of.

"You have to forgive him, Roxas." He looked at the shadow of his friend straight in the eye until Roxas lowered his head before looking at Terra and then back at Lea. "I..." Lea sighed deeply, "I have done so many things that are wrong and I always justified it by saying that I did it for someone else but truth is that I was scared or hurt or angry or a mixture of all of that. As a Nobody I did even worse things but...you rescued me." Lea tried to smile in spite of the tumult of feelings within him, "You made me feel again and as selfish as this may sound; I am grateful to whatever power that made our paths cross. You were my light when my heart was lost in darkness, Roxas. And I'm not sure you know what crazy things people can do to find their light."

Roxas looked down at his feet, he was hiding his face from Lea as he took in everything Lea was saying and his glow became stronger. Sora lowered the Keyblade in his hand and looked at it sadly. "But..."

Lea looked at Oblivion and gulped. That Keyblade was probably the only trace Xion had left behind and it ached to acknowledge the fact that he had completely forgotten everything about her until the moment when his memories began to act up. Regardless of what he had known about her, he had grown fond of her and regarded her like a little sister he needed to protect and guide. "He made me forget..."

Lea knew that he couldn't say that she wasn't meant to exist because that just didn't cut it anymore, he didn't even know what that meant. She did exist, that was the only thing that mattered. Erasing the memories of her didn't make her existence any less true. "Someone told me once that even if you forget there is always a force that remembers. I didn't understand what that meant at first but I guess it must be true. I had forgotten all about Xion but something brought her back into my memories, something kept her alive within your memories." Lea paused, "When I came to in Twilight Town I had only a few fragments of you in my memories and what I remembered most was the hurt and impotence I felt when you left the Organization. Then I met someone that reminded me of you and I thought that he was you, just that you had no memories of me. I was infuriated and I wanted revenge but as time passed by I realized something."

"What?" Roxas looked up at him slowly.

"I could remember for the both of us. You had made the choice to go back to your whole self and I figured that until I saw you again I would just live with the memories of you and find ways to make me worth your while. You owed me nothing and yet you gave me everything. It was the least I could do." Lea wanted to be able to do something else than just smile at him. He wanted to ruffle his hair or give him a playful shove, anything to console him.

Everyone else had patiently waited for Lea to do what he had to do. Riku couldn't help but to feel somewhat guilty even though he knew that at the time he had acted in the Sora's best interest. He hadn't seen Roxas as a person, he had seen him as a piece of a puzzle he had to solve and he had never once stopped to think that Roxas could have felt. He had played mind-games with him when he had been in the virtual Twilight Town and helped DiZ keep him in place.

"I'll make things right." The blue shadows returned back to Sora and Lea hurried after them, trying to grasp Roxas as he reacted to the way in which Roxas had spoken. Lea wasn't ready to let go yet, not when he finally had gotten the chance to talk to him again. Sora began to move again as soon as the blue shadow returned to him and he turned around to face Lea one last time before he summoned his Keyblade and made the light in the seal flush upward and swallow Xemnas as the blast pushed the other Keyblade-wielders aside while Ven stood his ground and faced the obliterating light he had called forward.

"Roxas, don't!"

Riku hurried up onto his feet as he ran towards the light. He had to get to Sora before Ven killed them both. The light was blinding and it burned when he got too close and he stopped in his tracks, trying to figure out what to do to get in there.

"Riku, c'mon! We gotta save Sora!" Kairi ran by him and grabbed his hand, pulling him along. Kairi was fearless, she didn't cover away from the bright light and her heart protected them both from being burned by it.

Cloud watched Aqua stand up and stare at the light Ven had decided to use to push her and the others away. This was a suicide attack. There was no way Ven would be able to control all of this light and be okay. Terra had been the first one to be swallowed by it and he had already been in pain by the intensity of the light holding him down. Her mind was blank and her brain refused to assimilate the fact that she had lost her two best friends.

"Cloud, Lea went in there. Aren't we going after him?" Zack stood restless beside Cloud, looking at the scene before him and wondering why Cloud wasn't reacting. He looked at the blond and saw him shake his head softly.

"No." He said and turned to face Zack, "He's where he wants to be now. He found what he was searching for." There had been no mistake in the look on Lea's face when he saw Roxas. He had found his best friend, the person who had driven him onto this journey. Lea had chosen to follow Roxas into the blast of light and Cloud felt that he had no right to question or judge that decision because he knew that he would have done the same for Zack.

The castle shook and pieces of the floor above them began to fall down as the blue light that had led to where Sora had been sitting made cracks spread on the floor underneath them. The blasting light was getting stronger and burned through the roof above it, causing more cracks on the walls as the floor crumbled.

"We gotta get everyone out of here. The castle won't stand much longer." Zack understood what Cloud had meant by not going after Lea. The important thing now was to get everyone else out of the castle before it collapsed. They both knew that Kairi and Riku had gone after Sora so those who were left beside them were Tifa, Cid and Aqua. Cloud hurried to find his two other friends and he saw them stay further away, looking out over the room in search for what he could only assume was him. They were okay. He turned to see Zack walk over to Aqua and he decided to stay and wait for him in case he would need help.

"Aqua, we have to go. The castle is collapsing." Zack took her by her wrist but she pulled away and shook her head.

Zack frowned, "I'll throw you over my shoulder if I have to," he warned but all he got was a sad chuckle and she turned her head slightly to get a glimpse of him.

"I beat you once, remember?"

"And you promised me a date once I became a warrior." Aqua smiled and shook her head again. Zack wasn't sure what to do, he didn't want to leave her here although her entire life had been engulfed by light right before her very eyes. The two persons she had lived for were taken away and he understood her need to stay and make sure that they got out of it in one piece. He took a few steps back reluctantly and he looked at her, waiting for her to change her mind but she turned back to look at the forceful light.

"It was nice seeing you again, Zack." She whispered as she heard his steps fade off in the distance and join the others as the castle shook again.

The group of four ran out to the hallway and Tifa turned to where she was certain they had come from only to see a wall just a feet away. The castle had changed shape. She cursed under her breath as she realized that they wouldn't be able to go back the same way they had come. They ran down the only hallway they could see and prayed and hoped that they would find their way out before it was too late. They weren't talking to each other even though there was much to say, all they could focus on now was to survive. They ran down countless hallways and made just as many turns when suddenly they ran into Goofy.

King Mickey's eyes widened when he saw the group and was torn between asking them how they got there and ask if that really was Zack.

"There's no time to explain anything. We have to get out of here fast." Cloud said as he saw the King open his mouth.

"B-but, Sora!" Goofy countered as Donald frowned.

"We won't leave without Sora!"

"There's nothing you can do now. Riku and Kairi are there to save him, they are the only one's strong enough to counter the light. We have to get out of here!" Tifa said. The castle shook again as if to help drive the point home, "We've shown nothing but trust for you, King Mickey. We're asking you trust us now. If you go in there you'll perish with the castle and that won't benefit anyone."

King Mickey looked at both Goofy and Donald. Tifa was right but he was afraid that his two guardians would disagree. He had led them this far and he had promised them back home that he would return with the both of them. A large piece of wall dropped and was crushed right behind them and Donald yelped as he jumped away.

"We trust you."

"Good. Can you find your way back out?" Cid asked and the three nodded, turning on their heels to lead the way out of Castle Oblivion. The walls were starting to collapse and they had to be ready to jump away to avoid being crushed by the heavy pieces of marble.

_I'm starting to forget..._

They were running as fast as their legs could carry them. They were apparently far into the castle as the hallways continued endlessly but King Mickey had made sure to mark their way so that they wouldn't get lost. Castle Oblivion had earned its name due to its maze of corridors, designed to make intruders get lost and forever fall into oblivion.

_...but I feel happy. I got to see him again._

Cloud felt Lea's voice echo within his head as he ran and he could feel him slipping away. He had reached the end of his road and Cloud knew he should be happy for him but the selfish part of him made him feel sad. He had never been good with change and knowing that Lea wouldn't be there after everything he had done for Cloud, did hurt.

_Remember for me, Cloud._

The doors of the castle stood open and they could see the road outside. The castle was shaking uncontrollably now and it was raining small stones as the floors above them threatened to cave any second. The light Ven had unleashed had burnt through most of the castle and they could feel the heat from it. They ran out on the road and they kept running out to the open meadows ahead of them. Cloud dared to turn around and take a peek and what he saw made him stop in his tracks. The towers fell off onto the ground with a loud crash as the light from within the castle continued up into the sky, making the clouds part around it. There were the sounds of windows breaking as the light grew wider and broke everything in its way.

Donald stepped forward with a few, slow steps as he saw the ravaging destruction before him. Goofy lowered his head to hide his face. The memory of Sora's face flashed before their eyes and as they stood there, helplessly watching without a clue as to whether Sora, Kairi and Riku were alive or dead.

As yet another tower crashed down a portal of Light was opened just a couple of feet away from them and they all stared in disbelief as two figures stumbled out. They soon realized that it was three figures when the portal behind them closed.

Kairi stood up carefully as she helped Sora off of Riku's back to let Riku stand up. Riku quickly grabbed Sora's arm and put it around his neck as the young Keyblade-wielder mumbled something.

"Sora!" Donald and Goofy ran up to him and stopped right in front of him as they realized that they shouldn't throw themselves at Sora just yet since he could be injured. Donald wiped away tears of joy at seeing his friends and Goofy blew his nose with a handkerchief he had pulled out of nowhere, "Gawrsh, you had us real worried, Sora!"

"Don't disappear on us like that again!" Donald added with a wag of his finger.

"He'll be up and running in no time." Kairi said with a smile. King Mickey walked up to them and gave all three of them a good look as he smiled gently at them.

"We're glad that you're okay. You did a good job." Riku chuckled and smiled at the King. He could clearly see that the King was just as emotional as Donald and Goofy but he didn't want to cry now. Riku also knew that there were probably many more things the King wanted to cry about. He had lost friends back there in Castle Oblivion.

"Let's go back to Radiant Garden." Tifa said as she approached them with a smile, "I'm sure they're all worried about us and Aerith can patch you up in a flash." She turned around to face Cloud and Zack, "You're coming too, right?" There was uncertainty in her voice that she didn't want to show and she tried to hide behind her smile.

Zack smiled back at her brightly and he threw his arm around Cloud's shoulders as he tried to ruffle his friends hair but Cloud tried to wriggle out of his grip which Zack completely ignored, "Of course we are. Aren't we, Cloud?"

"Yeah." He said, his hair in a complete mess as he looked back at Tifa. "That's were home is."

Her smile turned into a chuckle and as they all started to walk down the road and back to the gummiship she shoved him playfully, happy that he was here; that they were going back home together. Cid walked up to her and threw his arm around her shoulder and shook her slightly. She put her arm around his waist as she leaned against his shoulder and realized how tired she was.

Cloud felt a certain sense of relief at seeing his friends around him and he looked up at the stars and felt the breeze caress his skin as he answered Lea's last request.

_See you in the next life, Lea._

**ooo**

**.**

**A/N:** This is the last real chapter of this story. There is an epilogue and I will post it as soon as I can. I hope you have enjoyed the story so far and thank you for reading. I had fun writing it and please look forward to the epilogue. **  
**


	17. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

"Cloud! Hurry! They're here!"

Cloud heard Zack run down the stairs and down the hallway into their working space where Cloud was working on a chair in wood. The mako in his eyes shone almost to show his excitement as he stood in the doorway, moving his feet restlessly as Cloud put away the chair.

"Who's here?"

"The survivors from the other worlds!" Zack smiled at him and waved him over when he saw the stunned look on Cloud's face as he gave a slow nod and threw his gloves away to hurry after Zack. They ran rapidly to the newly restored plaza, the only place in Radiant Garden big enough to hold so many people at once. Cloud could feel his mouth go dry when they got close enough to see a wide line of people being led closer to the fountain in the middle of the plaza.

It had been months, almost a year since they had seen Castle Oblivion fall and there had been plenty of time to think of what had happened back then. He had later found out about the people who were being held captive in a room within the castle and even though he had seen the collapse of the castle with his own eyes he still hoped that the people being held there had made it out. There was reason to hope. The world Port Royal had been restored and the surviving citizens had returned to it.

A month or so after the incident, Cloud had received a letter from King Mickey. They had found it on one of their fishing trips and it wasn't until Zack pointed out the royal seal that Cloud thought anything of it and once they got back home he had decided to read it.

_Dear Zack and Cloud,_

_There are many things that were left unsaid the day we parted, and I feel that there are things I need to say. Firstly, I apologize for what my silence caused you both. While roaming in the Dark Realm I heard much about Hojo and how he had influenced Xehanort. I have seen the pain that both Hojo and Xehanort have caused and I was afraid that it would all surge again with the two of you being together. _

_I have faith in you and I am certain that the power you both withhold will be of great use to keep the darkness and light in balance. I have decided to not keep secrets from you. That is why I will tell you this; Terra, Aqua and Ven survived. You and Kairi restored Ven's heart and gave him the strength he needed to cleanse them from Xehanort's influence.  
Together they have restored the World of Departure and with the help of Sora, Riku and Kairi they have found survivors from the worlds that were destroyed by darkness. What I have to ask of you now is a favor. It will take time to restore the worlds, some might take longer than others and in the meantime the survivors will need a place to stay. Disney Castle has opened its doors to these people in need and we hope to be able to count on Radiant Garden as well. _

_Yours truly, _

_King Mickey_

There had been no doubt in whether they should take in these people or not. Cloud and Zack managed to get volunteers under their tutelage and together they built houses so that the survivors would have somewhere to live when they got to Radiant Garden. Aerith and Tifa had gone out on a hunt for old clothes that people didn't need anymore. In their hunt they had received other things like curtains, bed-clothing, mattresses, paintings and much to Zack and Cloud's relief the two girls had found help to decorate the cottages as well.

When they got to the plaza they saw that the rest of the Restoration Committee was already there, ready to greet the newcomers. Radiant Garden didn't have a regent yet. Their priority had been restoring their world and as they did the people of Radiant Garden had deemed them trustworthy enough to have as regents until everything settled down.  
From where Cloud stood he could see that there were survivors from both Agrabah and Beast's Castle in line and there was much chatter heard from them as they took in the majestic sight of the grand castle and the picturesque roads and buildings.

Cid got up onto the small stage Zack had put together a few days ago and he seemed pretty confident with the megaphone in his hand as he waved in the people in the back.

"Welcome to Radiant Garden!" He yelled and the crowd went slowly silent as everyone turned their attention to Cid, "We're gonna sign y'all a house and to do so we will need the name of each resident. It might take a while so I beg of you to bare with us. There will be lovely ladies passing food and water. No pushing, we'll make sure y'all get a slice." He looked down as Aerith nudged him and passed him a document. "Oh, right. There will be a meeting on Friday, tomorrow that is, for orientation and there will be a couple of guests there who are able to answer your questions." He was going to put the paper into his pocket when Aerith nudged him again and Cid sighed and looked down at the paper again, "There will be lemonade and cinnamon buns served. And all kids will get an extra treat."

There was a cheer from a couple of kids who still had the energy to jump around after their long trip and Cid smiled as Aerith took the paper and folded it neatly into the file she was holding. "Okay! Everybody get in line – there's one line to all desks! - and we'll go about this as thoroughly and fast as we can."

"Hey, look." Zack nodded towards the queue when he recognized one of the princesses and Cloud tried not to look so relieved when he saw Belle stand by a grumpy-looking prince. Right behind them stood a fat man with a fine and slim mustache arguing with the slender old man beside him while a little boy giggled into his mother's skirt. Further back in line stood a woman with a toddler in her arms and he was crying while she tried to rock him into sleep. She put him down and tried to comfort him but he sat down with a thump and kept crying when the man behind them sat down as well and looked at him. The boy stopped crying for a moment as he looked up at the man curiously.

"You like magic, little one?" He took out three balls with stripes and threw them up in the air and caught them and hid them before the little boy had any time to react, "Where did they go?" He gasped and looked surprised. He then coughed softly and hit his own chest and made it look like he just coughed out a ball. The little boy's face scrunched up like he had bit a lemon and he began to cry again. "No, no, no, little one, I'm okay. See? It was just a magic trick."

A young man behind him sighed as he tried to hold back a smile, "Lea, you're just scaring the kid." He sat down beside his friend and pulled out a cute little plastic container with a simile-face from a freezing box beside him and he turned to the mother who was looking at both of them with a wondering look. "Does he eat ice-cream?" He asked and the mother gave a slow nod. Lea watched his blue-haired friend scoop up a little ice-cream with his spoon only to leave it in the container as he turned to the little boy and reached out his hand, "Hello there, little one. My name is Isa. Would you like some ice-cream?"

The little boy paused as a sob was caught in his throat. He recognized the little plastic container and the content as well. He reached out his chubby little hand and Isa put the container right by him so that he could reach the spoon and eat by himself.

Zack followed Cloud closer to the queue and he was thinking the same Cloud was thinking. There was no mistaking the fiery red hair and those emerald-green eyes. Zack didn't expect Lea to remember anything. The Keyblade-wielders had barely survived the attack of light back at Castle Oblivion and Cloud had told him about how he had felt Lea slip away just as they left. He wasn't a religious man, he didn't think he was at least but if there was a greater power that looked out for them then it sure had worked out a great way of giving Lea a true second chance. As a survivor from one of the fallen worlds he had surely the memories of having lost loved ones and that gave him the chance to grieve what he had truly lost. He would be able to go on with his life. Cloud had also told him about Isa and as they approached them it truly felt like he was witnessing a miracle of sorts.

Cloud cast a shadow over them and Lea looked up to see if it was anyone he knew. Cloud gulped as he felt all of them stare at him, except for the little boy who was completely focused on the ice-cream. "Uh, hi." It wasn't the most intelligible thing to ever come out of his mouth but in his defense he felt really strange.

"Hi," Lea said and flashed him a huge grin, "You don't happen to be one of 'em lovely ladies with food, do ya'?" Isa sank his head and shook it lightly as he tried not to choke on a chuckle and not mumble 'God' under his breath. Cloud blushed as Zack snickered too and gave him a shove, "Sadly, no." Zack replied instead, "We live around here and we're on a mission on behalf of Radiant Merchants and we're wondering if you believe in the afterlife." Cloud rolled his eyes and sighed while Zack held him in place. He could always count on Zack going straight to the point instead of easing into it.

"Uh, yeah. I guess." Lea said with a shrug.

"Well, judging by your packaging I'm gonna go ahead and assume that you're opening a ice-cream shop and we figured that we might owe you from a past life and my friend here is a die-hard believer in karma so we insist on helping you out with the building of your ice-cream hang-out."

Lea and Isa stared open-mouthed at them, disbelief written all over their faces as they tried to say something while trying process what Zack was saying. Cloud seemed to be in disbelief as well but he came out of it once Zack nudged him, "Smile, Cloud." Zack said through his teeth and Cloud managed a small smile.

"A-are you serious?" Isa managed to ask after a few moments of silence. This was most certainly out of the blue. They hadn't expected to find much in this new world. Life had been tough and they had lost much but they found some comfort in having each other and their goal had been to start a business of their own once they got here. They had prepared themselves on the fact that it was probably going to be tougher still. They would have to start off by selling ice-cream from a small cart they had managed to save up to and they would have to walk through all of Radiant Garden to make enough money for living expenses. They had been euphoric when they found out that they would get their own house and now two strangers had walked up to them and told them that they would build their shop for them.

"Dead serious. Karma is no laughing matter, right, Cloud?"

Cloud nodded quickly, "Right." He fumbled through his pockets until he found their business cards, which Zack had insisted on getting and truth to be told it was really practical to have. He reached it to Isa who sat closest to them and Isa took it with trembling hands. Lea tried to snatch it away but Isa kept him at an arms length as he read through it. "You're gonna scare the child." Isa told him as he came to the conclusion that this card was probably real and that the two men before them were as serious as they claimed.

"We're gonna be at the meeting tomorrow so we can get together for a beer or something afterward and talk everything through." Zack offered, figuring that it would be too much to take in now and they were probably tired and hungry too. Isa nodded as Lea finally got his hands on the card and nodded slowly as he decided to look up. He stood up and reached his hand out to Zack and then to Cloud. He swallowed hard and bowed his head as he shook their hands.

"Thank you. You don't know how much this means to us. Really."

Isa got up as well and shook their hands, smiling nervously as he too bowed his head, "We haven't even introduces us. I'm Isa and this is Lea. Thank you..."

"Oh, I'm Zack and this is Cloud."

There was a buzz from the fountain up front and Cid got up onto the small stage again, clearing his throat before talking into the megaphone, "Could Cloud and Zack please find their way up here ASAP. We have a group that needs guiding to their houses. Chop, chop, guys."

They decided to meet after the meeting on Friday and as they left they could hear the laughter of joy from the both of them as they jumped around and managed to frighten the child once more. As they hurried up to Cid, Cloud saw the princess from Agrabah hold hands with the young man he had seen with the Genie. Things had turned out for the best it seemed and life was slowly turning back to normal. He had his best friend with him, he had his own memories and he was back home – everything wasn't perfect but he was happy and as it was now, he couldn't see how anything would change that.

_The End!_

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**A/N: **And that's a wrap! Thanks again for all of your lovely and helpful reviews, thank you to all of you readers as well. I really hope that you got something out of reading this story. Much love to all of you!


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